Media Roundup: A Current Affair's court ban, media under fire at Bondi inquest, Stutchbury exits AFR, Coalition's WFH pivot, and search wars heat up

Legal

A Current Affair cops court ban over toilet doorstop

Nine has agreed to bury footage from a rogue A Current Affair interview, filmed inside a women’s toilet, to dodge a courtroom showdown with non-bank lender Oak Capital.

As Stephen Drill writes in The Daily Telegraph, the segment in question featured ex-reporter Seb Costello confronting an employee at Melbourne’s Rialto building, a move that sparked immediate legal heat.

The court win gives Oak Capital some breathing room as it battles ASIC in a separate case involving $37 million in allegedly fee-heavy loans.

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Media conduct under fire at Bondi inquest

The Bondi Junction inquest has turned a harsh spotlight on media missteps in the wake of last year’s deadly stabbing attack.

As Charlie Lewis writes in this Crikey Op-Ed, Elizabeth Young, whose daughter Jade was one of six people killed, told the court her family were re-traumatised by seeing Jade’s dying moments broadcast on national television.

“Horrified” was how her sister and nephew described it.

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Business

Stutchbury exits AFR for policy-side pivot

Michael Stutchbury has officially wrapped up his time at the Australian Financial Review, capping off more than a decade at the helm and a year as editor-at-large.

As Thomas Henry writes in The Australian, he’s headed to the Centre for Independent Studies, where he’ll swap headlines for think tank strategy.

Stutchbury told AFR staff he’s taking on an “exciting opportunity” at the centre-right institute, which he’s long admired.

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Coalition flips script on working from home

In a sharp pivot from its pre-election stance, the Coalition is now throwing its weight behind working from home as a productivity booster.

As Greg Brown writes in The Australian, Senator Andrew Bragg, the Opposition’s productivity and deregulation spokesperson, says it's time to knock down the barriers keeping Australians from more flexible work.

The about-face follows the backlash over a policy that would’ve banned WFH for federal public servants, a policy Peter Dutton quietly dropped mid-campaign.

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Companies

Perth Bears boss hits a brick wall in the west

Anthony De Ceglie may have just clocked in as CEO of the NRL’s new Perth Bears, but early signs suggest it’s going to be a long, uphill slog.

As Steve Jackson writes in The Australian, tasked with cracking into a city where rugby league barely registers, De Ceglie is facing a cold shoulder from the very power players he was hired to charm.

Despite being a Perth local and former Seven West Media news boss, he’s struggled to find friends in high places.

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Tech

Search wars heat up as Perplexity takes on Google

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Television

Power glitch in Brisbane hands 7 News baton to Sydney team

Brisbane viewers of 7 News got a surprise swap-out on Monday night when a mid-bulletin blackout handed the mic to Sydney’s Mark Ferguson and Angela Cox.

As Kyle Laidlaw writes in TV Blackbox, The switcheroo happened just after 6.37pm, mid-ad break, as technical issues knocked out Brisbane’s local feed.

From there, Sydney’s bulletin took over without explanation, until sports anchor Mel McLaughlin finally broke the fourth wall.

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Film

IMAX doubles down on giant screens as cinema crowd shrinks

IMAX is going big in Australia, literally, upping its local screen count from four to nine by 2027.

The investment, roughly $1.5 million a pop, signals confidence that moviegoers still want the kind of sensory overload their lounge rooms just can’t deliver.

But, as Michael Bailey writes in the Australian Financial Review, the company, listed on the NYSE, isn’t just selling screens.

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Mandy Walker first Australian woman to lead American Society of Cinematographers

At 15, Mandy Walker’s love for cinema sparked after watching a little-known Spanish film. It wasn’t just the story, t was the way the film’s mood and place gripped her.

As Karl Quinn writes in The Age, that curiosity led her down the path of cinematography, a craft she’s now been mastering for over three decades.

Walker’s career sparkles with accolades, from BAFTA and Oscar nods to an AACTA win for Elvis. But last weekend’s milestone, being elected president of the American Society of Cinematographers, stands out.

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