The Briefing

Some true crime content – like The Teacher’s Pet or Up and Vanished has helped lead detectives to suspects, even resulting in convictions on cold cases.   But armchair detectives don’t always get it right – like the TikTok star in Idaho who wrongfully accused a professor of murder.   Take the popular Netflix series Baby Reindeer, based on a wild, but true story.  Fans have started to investigate the real-life people characters were based on, despite the writer and director going to pretty great lengths to try to keep their true identities private.  Is online sleuthing here to stay? And can it cause greater harm than good?  In this episode, Sacha Barbour Gatt speaks with Greg Stratton from RMIT, who is currently writing a book about true crime and wrongful convictions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Popular rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar are currently embroiled in a very public spat. It’s a feud that has a long history, but things have really escalated. Hip hop journo and author Simone Amelia Jordan explains why this feud is more than petty online drama. Headlines: US pauses weapons delivery to Israel amid Rafah offensive Treasurer forecasts a growth in disposable incomes in Budget sneak peak  Stormy Daniels details Donald Trump encounter in hush money trial World reaches crucial clean energy turning point   Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A local council in Sydney has voted to ban books about same-sex parents from its libraries. Six Cumberland City Councillors voted in favour of the ban, while five, including Mayor Lisa Lake, opposed it.  The New South Wales Government has warned it could breach the Anti-Discrimination Act and even threatened to pull the council’s library funding, as a result.  Councillor Steve Christou proposed the ban, arguing that most of the council’s constituents are conservative and religious, and don't want “any form of sexualised experiences” available to children in the library. But is a same-sex parenting book sexualised content? In this episode, Bension Siebert speaks with Councillor Steve Christou to find out why he proposed the ban.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Amanda Davies from the University of Western Australia discusses Australia's declining birth rate, its implications, and comparisons with the rest of the world. The podcast also touches on topics like the Israel-Hamas conflict, interest rates, TikTok lawsuits, and gender-specific spaces.

Israeli tanks have reportedly been spotted just 200 metres from the edge of Rafah, less than a day after an estimated 100,000 Palestinian civilians were ordered to evacuate.  Bordering on Egypt, the southernmost city of Gaza has become the last refuge for around 1.4 million Palestinians who have fled the violence and destruction elsewhere.  The impending invasion comes after Hamas agreed to a proposed ceasefire that was declined by Israel, and after the forced the closure of foreign media outlet Al Jazeera - one of the only media broadcasters active from the Gaza strip.  To explain more, Bension Siebert is joined by Antony Loewenstein, an independent journalist, film-maker and author of the best-selling book, The Palestine Laboratory.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Witch hunts aren’t just the stuff of colonial America; they’re happening right now all around the world. People are still being persecuted and often murdered on suspicion of being involved in witchcraft, in a trend that’s currently being driven by fundamental Christianity, poverty and civil conflict. On today’s briefing we’re joined by Professor Miranda Forsyth to find out who is at risk, why they’re being targeted and what’s being done to address the issue. Headlines: Hamas accepts “softened” ceasefire deal Tributes for Aussie brothers killed in Mexico Judge in Trump hush money trial threatens jail as ex-President breaches gag order for a 10th time Met Gala Monday is here   Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the weekend in Perth, a sixteen-year-old boy has been shot dead by police after allegedly wounding a man who was unknown to him with a knife. WA Premier Roger Cook has said that there were indications that the teenager had been radicalised online. The news comes just weeks after Sydney's Wakeley church attack, where another 16-year-old boy allegedly stabbed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, in what has been labelled a terrorist act. In this episode, Bension Siebert speaks with internationally renowned expert on terrorism and extremism, Deakin University Professor Greg Barton, to establish how big of an issue radicalisation is in Australia, and what is being done to prevent and safeguard our youth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cities in China are sinking and satellite imagery shows Beijing is among one of the fastest going under. According to a new study in the journal Science, development and groundwater pumping are causing land subsidence and heightening the risks of sea level rise. Within 100 years, a quarter of China’s urban coastal land could sit below sea level. In this episode of The Briefing, we’re joined by Robert Nicholls, a climate scientist and civil engineer at the University of East Anglia who reviewed the paper to find out why China’s cities are sinking and what can be done to fix the problem Headlines: Israel shuts down Al Jazeera Labor to introduce weekly payment for nursing, teaching students on placements Free Madonna concert draws crowd of 1.6 million in Rio de Janeiro   Follow The Briefing:Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ziggy Ramo is a Wik man, powerful storyteller and rapper - but it took him fives years to release his first album because the world wasn't ready to embrace his art and perspective. Soon after the Black Lives Matter movement Ziggy set his words into the world releasing his music and he’s now written a book – his memoir – Human? In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Ziggy explains how racism in Australia continues to dehumanise groups of people and what lead him to rap. Ziggy will be appearing speaking throughout the Melbourne Writers Festival and on May 10th Jan Fran will be joining Ziggy live. Event details here WEEKEND LIST TO READ - Pheasants Nest by Louise Milligan TO EAT- Pasta salad by Emily English on TikTok TO WATCH - Baby Reindeer on Netflix TO LISTEN - I Forgot to Tell You Something podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Smut used to be the kind of genre you’d find hidden away in the back corner of bookstores. But not anymore. Now, smut series are being featured on the New York Times Best Sellers list, and a quick search of #spicybook or #smut on TikTok will find hundreds of thousands of videos. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its issues. In this episode of The Briefing, Bension Siebert speaks with Esmé Louise James, author of “Kinky History”, to find out about the history of smut, discuss problematic characters, and get her personal smutty recommendations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.