The first episode of our Distraction series is about wayward attention and the struggle to focus. This week, our producers navigate ADHD, limit screentime, and question whether the solution to distracting technology can come from technology itself.

This series was made in collaboration with the Science Gallery for their new exhibition, which is open now. Today's stories were produced by Ricky Sproule, Shixin Wang, Yeting Gao, and Samuel Irvine.

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Exiled Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar says the Russia-Ukraine war is far from over. He believes Vladimir Putin is prolonging the conflict to fuel propaganda and silence critics.

This week on The Yarn, we’re sharing Zygar’s 2025 AN Smith Lecture—Journalism Against Autocracy. Addressing a sold-out audience at Melbourne University, Zygar recounts covering Putin’s Russia for more than two decades. He also discusses attacks on press freedom, coming out as gay in a deeply homophobic society, and why his new home in the United States is giving him “déjà vu”.

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Who do you think of when you think of an Australian pioneer? Maybe Fanny Finch, the first woman to vote in Australia, who was also a woman of colour. Or perhaps Rosaleen Norton, also known as the Witch of King's Cross. These are the trailblazers whose stories Dr Corey Martin is telling in her podcast, Maiden Australia. In this episode of News Bites, she discusses feminist approaches to storytelling and how podcasting can amplify marginalised voices.

Show Notes

Maiden Australia

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