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Media Roundup: Meta’s fact-check u-turn, McEnroe’s Nine return, WFH mutiny, and journalist Ken Randall’s passing

ates over working from home, John McEnroe’s return to Nine, Meta’s major moderation shake-up, and a farewell to journalist Ken Randall—here’s what’s making headlines this week.

By Emma ShepherdPublished Jan 8, 2025
7 min read
Mark Zuckerberg

News Brands

Sounds like a mutiny’: Big reason working from home still hasn’t been scrapped in Australia ‘

As we approach the new year, questions loom over the future of working from home, writes Ally Foster for news.com.au.

In 2024, major companies like Amazon, Dell, Tabcorp, and Flight Centre implemented return-to-office mandates, leaving hybrid and remote workers facing uncertainty. Many fear that 2025 could bring a wave of similar policies, pushing more employees back into traditional office settings.

However, some experts remain optimistic about the future of remote work in Australia. Natasha Hawker, managing director of HR and recruitment firm Employee Matters, suggests many employers will hesitate to eliminate flexible work arrangements, mindful of potential backlash from staff.

Speaking on Sunrise, Hawker highlighted the significant advantages of remote work, which employees now see as a standard benefit.

“COVID introduced working from home, and it’s challenging to reverse that. Employees have grown to expect it,” she explained. “When recruiting for our clients, candidates often won’t even consider an interview without reviewing the company’s working-from-home policy.”

You can’t be serious’: Nine lures McEnroe back for Australian Open

Nine has bolstered its Australian Open commentary lineup by bringing back tennis legend John McEnroe and enlisting two prominent Olympians, reports The Age’s Jon Pierik.

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McEnroe, a seven-time grand slam champion and former world No. 1, will play a prominent role in Nine’s coverage. Known for his sharp insights and occasionally polarising commentary, the 65-year-old returned to Australia last year after a three-year absence, having previously been a regular in the commentary box and a key figure in on-court interviews.

Joining McEnroe in Nine’s expanded coverage are fellow American Jim Courier and Australian tennis icons Todd Woodbridge and Jelena Dokic. Nine, which owns The Age, has confirmed the significant addition to its broadcast team.

Amanda Laing firms for mega Nine broadcast job amid restructure

Nine Entertainment is set to appoint former Foxtel executive Amanda Laing to a newly created role overseeing broadcast operations, reports The Australian Financial Review’s Kylar Loussikian. The proposed management shake-up at the $2 billion media company could be finalised within weeks.

The role is expected to report directly to Nine’s acting CEO, Matt Stanton, and will encompass oversight of the company’s free-to-air television and radio divisions, as well as its Stan streaming platform.

If confirmed, this move would mark Ms Laing’s return to Nine, where she served as managing director until 2017. According to sources familiar with the matter, Ms Laing would only commence the position later this year, once her non-compete obligations with Foxtel have concluded. These sources declined to speak on the record as they were not authorised to discuss the appointment publicly.

Sun safety message lost in TikTok tanning trend, experts say

Australia's social media influencers are being urged to prioritise sun safety in response to a troubling TikTok trend that encourages tanning for visible tan lines, reports The Daily Telegraph’s Eliza Barr. Despite the sobering statistic that one person dies from skin cancer every six hours in Australia, some young people are intentionally exposing themselves to high UV levels to achieve the popular look.

At Bondi Beach yesterday, teenager Jess Craboledda acknowledged the risks but admitted that many of her peers remain indifferent.

“I come home burnt quite a bit, but it’s okay,” she said. “My mum encourages more sunscreen … but we’re all just young and like to be a bit ignorant.”

In contrast, 17-year-old Ruby Smith said she was more mindful of the dangers, frequently checking the UV index and reapplying sunscreen.

“I think it’s a trend right now, but people are going to regret it a lot when they’re older,” Ruby said.

The trend has sparked concern among experts, who have called on influencers to use their platforms to discourage unsafe tanning behaviours. Melanoma Institute Australia’s co-medical director, Georgina Long, emphasised the critical role influencers play in promoting sun safety to younger audiences.

Social

‘Too much censorship’: Mark Zuckerberg announces Meta will end fact-checking on Facebook, Instagram

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has announced that the social media giant will end its fact-checking programme on Facebook and Instagram in a move to “restore free expression,” reports news.com.au’s Frank Chung. Zuckerberg admitted that previous content moderation policies had “gone too far,” resulting in “too many mistakes and too much censorship.”

In a video released on Tuesday, Zuckerberg explained that Meta would replace its third-party fact-checkers — first introduced in 2016 following Donald Trump’s election — with crowdsourced “community notes,” similar to the system used on Elon Musk’s X.

“It’s time to return to our roots around free expression on Facebook and Instagram,” Zuckerberg stated.

He acknowledged ongoing debates around the potential harms of online content, adding, “Governments and legacy media have pushed for increased censorship, much of it politically motivated. But there are also genuinely harmful issues — drugs, terrorism, child exploitation.”

Zuckerberg emphasised that Meta takes these concerns “very seriously” and is committed to handling them responsibly.

How Jay Graber Is making sure Bluesky never turns into Elon Musk’s X

In February 2023, the social network Bluesky gained its first major celebrity user: dril, an absurdist Twitter persona hailed by The New Yorker as “one of America’s incisive ongoing works of social criticism,” reports Forbes’ Emily Baker-White and Richard Nieva. Known for capturing the chaotic spirit of Twitter, dril found himself drawn to Bluesky amid dissatisfaction with Elon Musk’s X.

Speaking to Forbes, dril criticised X’s algorithm for amplifying “moronic political commentators and crypto scammers” while sidelining genuine connections. He suggested Bluesky could thrive by positioning itself as a refuge from ad bots, AI content, and manipulative algorithms but warned of potential pitfalls if commercial interests take over.

Originally an open-source project at Twitter, Bluesky was spearheaded by Jay Graber, an advocate for an open internet. Its mission was to create the AT Protocol—a system allowing seamless communication and content sharing across social media platforms. Though Bluesky has since evolved into an independent entity, its roots in decentralisation remain central to its appeal.

Business of Media

Eminent Australian journalist Ken Randall dies aged 88

Ken Randall, a former chief political correspondent for The Australian, has passed away at the age of 88, reports The Australian’s Jack Quail. With a journalism career spanning six decades across newspapers, magazines, radio, and television, Randall leaves behind a legacy as one of Australia’s most influential journalists.

Born in Tasmania, Randall began his career with the ABC in Hobart before rising to prominence for his determined and distinguished reporting on federal politics. In 1964, he joined The Australian as its first defence and diplomatic correspondent. Over the years, he held numerous senior roles at the publication, including features editor, associate editor, Melbourne bureau chief, and eventually, chief political correspondent.

Randall later brought his expertise to a global audience, working as an Australian correspondent for renowned international outlets such as the Financial Times, The Economist, and The Guardian.

Streaming

This is why the world doesn’t like you’: Meghan Markle slammed over new show

Americans will “hate” Meghan Markle’s new show cooking “elevated” food with her A-list friends as they struggle, a royal expert has claimed,' The Daily Telepgraph's Tiffany Bakker, reports.

Netflix released a trailer for With Love, Meghan in which the former actress will share her ideas on cooking, gardening, crafting, flower arranging and hosting.

Guests will include celebrated chef Alice Waters, actress Mindy Kaling and close friend Abigail Spencer, one of the Duchess’ former Suits co-stars.

Rising prices have been a key concern for Americans in recent years.

The majority of Americans feel worse off than they did four years ago, according to several polls, as the world remains in a cost of living crisis.

It comes as US political commentator Meghan McCain also bagged the Duchess, calling her “out of touch” over the show while “Americans can’t pay for groceries”.

“I was originally a Meghan Markle supporter, I thought she was cool, stylish and refreshing,” said McCain on social media.

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