Journalists are confronted with many threats, from being exposed to hostile environments – on the field or online – or through the continuous pressures that their job can entail. And these threats have a cost. And while the physical safety of journalists has been a major focus in the profession in the last 30 years, the impact the job can have on journalists' mental wellbeing has been overlooked.

But is this now changing?

This episode explores the different threats to journalists’ mental wellbeing and dives into the question of how newsroom leaders and news managers are addressing it in their organisations, and what forms of support have been put in place in the last few years.

This episode comes off the back of the MediaStrong symposium for journalists' mental wellbeing, an initiative created by Leona O’Neill, which was co-curated by the Public Media Alliance and Safely Held Spaces. During this event, the MediaStrong Newsroom Wellbeing Charter was launched. Find out more here: https://sites.google.com/mediastrong.uk/mediastrong/sign-our-charter

Guests: Aya Ibrahim from Deutsche Welle, Dave Seglins from CBC/Radio-Canada, Fran Unsworth from the International News Safety Institute and the founder of MediaStrong, Leona O’Neill. Presenter: Charlotte Pion. Music: Tom Brazier, Lucas Thompson & Rachel Still.

In early 2025, two major elections took place which bore a striking resemblance in their outcomes... the Canadian and Australian elections both saw wins for the left-leaning incumbents while both leaders of the opposition lost their seats. But what did these elections have in store for the two national public media organisations, tasked with covering these elections, and a responsibility to foster an informed citizenry when it comes to casting their vote?

In this episode, we host a conversation with the two men tasked with leading the newsrooms for both the ABC and CBC. We examine the challenges when it comes to covering an election in 2025: from politicians unwilling to engage with public media to an audience with diverse needs and habits when it comes to getting news. We explore what new formats are being experimented with, such as explainers, watch-along broadcasts, and a nationwide radio marathon broadcast. And we ask: will there always be a future for the election night show?

For more on ABC and CBC/Radio-Canada's coverage: https://www.publicmediaalliance.org/public-media-covering-elections/

Guests: Justin Stevens, Director, News, ABC & Brodie Fenlon, General Manager & Editor-in-Chief, CBC News. Presenter: Harry Lock. Music: Tom Brazier.

In the last episode, we looked at the continuing need for public service media that is international and independent, providing fact-based news and information to audiences around the globe. And one major challenge came through: the competition from the international media organisations of authoritarian states, namely Russia and China.

In this episode, we hone in on China's media strategy overseas. We hear from an academic who has studied China's media strategy in the Pacific, where CCTV and China Radio International are butting up against ABC International and RNZ Pacific, while Chinese embassies are also investing heavily in local media & journalists. We consider what benefits the Chinese state is looking to get from these moves, in the Pacific, and elsewhere. And we also speak to both ABC International and RNZ Pacific about what impact it's having on them.

Presenter: Harry Lock. Guests: Dr Denghua Zhang (ANU), Moera Tuilaepa-Taylor (RNZ Pacific), Claire Gorman (ABC International), Beverly Ochieng (Control Risks). Music: Tom Brazier, Rachel Still, Lucas Thompson.