Media Roundup: D-Day for Roberts-Smith trial, ABC host's tasteless on-air gaffe, Sky News' regional battle and Microsoft axes Aussie jobs

Legal

Roberts-Smith defamation appeal decision lands Friday

More than a year after arguments wrapped, Ben Roberts-Smith will find out on Friday whether he's managed to overturn one of the most explosive defamation losses in Australian history.

As Michaela Whitbourn reports in The Sydney Morning Herald, the former SAS corporal, who was found by the Federal Court to be complicit in the murder of four unarmed prisoners in Afghanistan, has argued the judge got it wrong.

The court’s decision will be handed down Friday morning, closing a high-stakes chapter in media law and military accountability.

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Radio

ABC's Bob Murphy raises eyebrows with offbeat on-air comment

ABC Melbourne breakfast host Bob Murphy surprised listeners on Wednesday with an awkward crack about co-host Sharnelle Vella and infamous strip club Spearmint Rhino, while they were mid-chat on tax advice, no less.

The odd moment came just before the 7.30am bulletin during an interview with CPA Australia’s Elinor Kasapidis.

As Jackie Epstein writes in The Herald Sun, Vella was recalling her high school retail job when Murphy chimed in with, “Not at Spearmint Rhino, the other one.”

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Tech

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Streaming

Sky News faces regional blackout if 10 pulls the plug

Sky News Australia could vanish from regional free-to-air screens in a matter of weeks, with its fate now sitting squarely in the lap of Network 10.

As Calum Jaspan reports in The Sydney Morning Herald, Paramount-owned 10 has quietly acquired all the regional TV licences previously held by WIN and Southern Cross Austereo, licences that currently beam Sky News into almost seven million homes.

But the contracts expire at the end of June, and 10 hasn’t yet confirmed if it’ll renew or replace Sky’s slot with its own content, like Nickelodeon.

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Allianz and Spotify drop ‘Seat Belters’ playlist to drive safer habits

Allianz Australia has collaborated with Spotify to launch ‘Seat Belters’, a new in-app experience designed to promote safer driving during National Road Safety Week (12–18 May).

The initiative allows drivers to generate personalised playlists consisting of songs within the 60–80 beats per minute (BPM) range, which research suggests can support calmer and more focused driving.

The campaign is underpinned by Allianz research indicating that one in three (32%) Australian drivers believe music affects their driving.

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Advertising

The rise of trust, attention, and results signals a shift in journalism, not its death

WARC’s latest Global Ad Trends report makes one thing very clear: global advertising spend on professional journalism is in decline. But what it misses is a clear understanding of why this change is occurring.

The report cites keyword blocklists and brand squeamishness around hard news. Let’s be honest, those issues are nothing new and while yes that’s been a factor, the real story is far bigger and far more fundamental.

As Ben Gunn writes in this op-ed for Mediaweek, the reality is marketers and brands have been following audiences, not keywords.

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Television

Footy Show alum goes rogue with online attacks on AFL media

Ralph Horowitz, a former Footy Show producer turned racing blogger, has spent the past 18 months targeting AFL media figures online over their views on the Israel-Gaza conflict.

As Daanyal Saeed reports in Crikey, posting more than 100 times and lobbing insults at journalists including Sophie Welsh and Marnie Vinall.

Horowitz’s most inflammatory comments have been aimed at Jewish AFL digital producer Sophie Welsh, whom he labelled a “pretend Jew sellout” after she spoke out against Israel’s actions in Gaza.

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SBS marks 50 years with bold new campaign: ‘We Go There’

As SBS approaches its 50th anniversary in 2025, the broadcaster is marking the milestone not with nostalgia alone, but with a gutsy new campaign that reasserts its unapologetically bold identity in a crowded media landscape.

Unveiled with the tagline ‘We Go There’, the campaign is a striking declaration of SBS’s ongoing mission: to challenge, to provoke, and to reflect the real, complex, and diverse Australia.

Created in partnership with creative agency Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song, the campaign’s centrepiece is a daring 60-second film that’s so quintessentially SBS, it can’t be shown anywhere but on SBS.

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Business

Microsoft trims local workforce amid global cuts

Microsoft is set to lay off up to 100 Australian staff as part of a broader global cull that will see 6000 roles cut company-wide.

The tech giant hasn’t confirmed whether its push into AI tools like Copilot is playing a role in the downsizing,  it’s certainly raising eyebrows.

According to Paul Smith in The Australian Financial Review, the axe is expected to fall largely on middle management, though roles at all levels may be affected.

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Podcasting

Toni & Ryan take Webby gold with a DIY mic drop

Melbourne podcast duo Toni Lodge and Ryan Jon Dunn have scored global bragging rights, taking out the People’s Voice Award at this year’s Webby Awards in New York. Their homegrown show,

Toni & Ryan, beat out heavy hitters to win in a fiercely competitive podcast category, voted in by fans around the world.

In an interview with Mediaweek just hours after their win, the pair revealed just how their side-hustle propelled them to the world stage.

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