First of all, here's what we have for you this week:
- Killer Grabs: Quotes from around the traps.
- Why the Australian media wants a closer alliance with Donald Trump— By Scott Mitchell
- The Good Ones: The best journalism, opinion and entertainment for you to enjoy.
One of the biggest challenges we grapple with every week at Lamestream is deciding what topics to dive into, both for our podcast and our newsletter.
As a platform focused on the Australian media there's never a shortage of options. This week, we broadened out a little bit. While the main focus of our episode was the biggest media story of the past week – the reaction to the deeply controversial review into combating anti-semitism – we also touched on a range of political issues that we don't think are getting enough attention.
The lack of a serious political contest at the national has meant an absence of attention on some of the problems we're all facing right now: the climate crisis, housing, health policy, the collapse of the higher education sector, and more. We'd love to know if covering these kinds of topics are something you, are subscribers, are interested in us doing – while remaining focused on our key job of holding the media to account. Let us know!
We would love to hear any ideas or feedback at all, whether it's about the look and feel of it, what you want to read more about from us or how often you'd like to hear from us.
In this week's newsletter, Scott examines how the media covered Anthony Albanese's visit to China, in the context of the potential collapse of the AUKUS military deal signed by Scott Morrison, and endorsed by the Labor government.
For some reason Australia's media class are hell bent on us spending hundreds of billions more subsidising Donald Trump's agenda. Why? Read on.
Thanks for your support, as always.
Killer Grabs
“I think, that he thinks, that we’re Austrian.” – Mick Young, Federal Secretary of the ALP, 1971.
Gough Whitlam’s 1971 visit to China is mentioned literally every single time any Australian leader goes to China. You’ll often read about it in articles offering to "explain" the relationship between the two countries.
One you won't often read is that when Zhou Enlai, the second most important figure in Mao’s China, welcomed the Labor delegation, he did so by telling them that Australian workers were famous all over the world for their efficiency – tales of the industriousness of Australians had even reached his ears in China.
Zhou was still speaking as Labor’s Mick Young, whispered the above into the ear of Whitlam’s chief press officer, Eric Walsh. Eric hasn’t stopped telling that one in the 53 years since.
“As a friend once sang: 'Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you.'" – Andy Byron, CEO of Astronomer, after being caught having an affair at a Coldplay concert.
The guy who got caught cheating on his wife at a Coldplay concert seriously quoted Coldplay in his official apology press release. Incredible.
“Augie March's One Crowded Hour is the greatest Australian song of all time" – Osman Faruqi, July 17, 2025.
This is less self-indulgent than it sounds, wait for it.
“Augie March – One Crowded Hour" – Opposition Leader Sussan Ley's vote for Triple J's Hottest 100 Australian songs of all time
Credit where it's due, Ley's list was good, and much more interesting than Anthony Albanese's. We have so much in common, Sussan. Come on the pod.
