The Fortnightly
MEDIA, MONEY AND DEMOCRACY
The vital role Press play in preserving or destroying our societies
Ineka Leffler
Recently, President Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt , addressed the Associated Press in a matter that threatened a key pillar of our democracy - the Freedom of the Press Leavitt said to a crowd of 49 journalists that it was a "privilege" to report on the White House, and that "nobody has the right to go into the White House, and ask the President of the United States questions" This comes amidst the Trump administration’s "Gulf of America" and “Gulf of Mexico" naming dispute, within which Trump, with the support of US district Judge Trevor McFadden (appointed by Trump), blocked the Associated Press (AP) from accessing the White House Press Pool for “certain and special events". Why?
Because the AP called the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico That's right, the President of a democratic state blocked a media outlet because he did not appreciate that the media did not blatantly follow his claims. But I mean, we can't be surprised? This was the President that assured his voters "you won't have to vote anymore" during his election campaign... But, why is the media important? In its most basic form, the media (things like newspapers, podcasts, and television news) is responsible for informing the public on everything that exists outside of an individual’s personal sphere. It’s responsible for communicating international affairs,
new domestic policies, crime, and everything in between Without it, individuals are left living in an ignorant bliss where we risk abuses of power with no knowledge to fight back. Remember when Maclom X said; “ If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing " ?
The media gives the public the necessary knowledge to hold those in power accountable, or, it becomes an instrument of regimes, giving the public influencable one-sided story.
What’s Australia’s media like?
Amidst the controversies of the ‘Sovereign Borders Policy’ that headlined 2014, the Abbot government declared to the ABC that “You can’t leap to be critical of your own country ” , after the ABC broadcasted the detrimental effects of the Policy on children and families. Subsequently, the ABC had its budget cut by $254 million over the following five year period. To top it all off Abbot appointed Janet Alberechtsen (a conservative commentator) and Neil Brown (former deputy Liberal party leader) to the ABC and SBS Board Appointments Panel Having a large impact on overseeing the operations of two of Australia’s key national broadcasts. So while we can attack America and the most un-democratic nations we can think of, it’s important to look at our own home.
In fact, Australia’s media concentration is ranked second worst in the world. This means that a very few individuals and/or organisations have significant and disproportionate control over mass media production While we have the perfect illusion of choice with over 600 newspapers, the reality is that Newscorp controls 60% of Australian news (2024), and is owned by Rupert Murdoch, a conservative businessman with a networth of over 22.5 billion.
Our media and the status of our democratic state is under threat by people in power who now hold the ability to control what we hear and what we don’t More concerningly, our access to reliable content and information is being removed by un-elected fiscally appointed figures. So remember to think twice about who and where you get your news from, what stories you’re looking at, and what stories you might be missing out on Because when you destroy journalism you destroy democracy
THE STORY OF THIS UNDERGRAD’S TOILET-BOUND INFECTIONS.
The ever-relatable experience of chronic UTIs and navigating the medical world as a woman
Maya Grant
Disclaimer: this is not medical advice as I am not a medical professional This is my own experience and what I have found work for me
I got my first UTI, Urinary Tract Infection, when I was 19 and about mid-way through my first year at Uni. It was from having sex and not peeing after. For some, this not peeing business is inconsequential. However, this small oversight had very real consequences for me. In the year after, I would have 8 more confirmed infections and around 4 unconfirmed cases.Like clockwork, I would get symptoms 2 days after having sex, peeing after or not. In my experience, it starts to hurt a little when I pee, a burning and stinging sensation that gets worse each time. It also feels like I can never fully empty my bladder and find myself on the toilet frequently, despite nothing really coming out. In the first instance, at 5:00am of the dreaded ‘UTI Tuesday’, a term coined by my roommates, I was on the phone to Mum, crying ‘Your Hobart Doctor’ opened at 8:00am I waddled my way there and cried at the receptionist until she found a GP that would squeeze me in between patients I was prescribed antibiotics and sent on my way For a year, I got by on antibiotics and drinking an unholy amount of cranberry juice As a result, I am now resistant to 8/10 prescription antibiotics But the most disappointing part of my experience, however, was that no one could explain my reoccurring UTI’s, which by this point, had no causal relationship with sex Now, almost 2 years later, UTI symptoms persist regardless of my ‘negative’ pathology tests I have learned, as many women have, that UTI’s are not well understood in Western medicine Whether you experience it once, or end up with chronic UTI symptoms, just know that there are plenty of effective management strategies out there Find a good GP and stick with them so that you can create an effective prevention or treatment plan that works for you Know that this is an extremely common infection and you will find support in the shared experience of others.
Maya’s Tips and Tricks to preventing & surviving UTIs: DRINK. SO. MUCH. WATER. Take hydration seriously as it is an effective preventor against infections.
Drink pure, 100% cranberry juice and Ural.
Wear cotton undies and change them during the day.
Bacteria in your underwear. Preventatively drink cranberry juice or Ural after sex.
Liv Bellchambers
Coco Mellors' "Cleopatra and Frankenstein", a recent BookTok sensation and a stylish accessory in many an Instagram photo dump, transports us to a pre-pandemic, preTrump era - a world that feels both familiar yet distant As the title suggests, the novel focuses around the relationship between Cleo, a 24-year old artist facing the impending expiration of her Visa, and Frank, a forty-something advertising executive They wed expeditiously and the story follows their marriage and the impact it has on both their own lives and the lives of those around them Although the main characters are completely incompatible and slightly unbearable, Coco Mellors does an excellent job of portraying the intricacies of human relationships, and the vulnerabilities and complexities that drive their actions While she deals with some heavy themes and topics, Mellors also incorporates a lot of humour into her work through the use of fun side characters I also loved the backdrop of New York City - although I have never been, Mellors successfully captures its energy and ‘allure’ and it serves as both a setting and a character in its own right
MOOD MIX
5 First Nations Artists You Need On Repeat
Kate Deane
Hailing from Lutruwita and based in Naarm, Miss Kaninna proves to be a gamechanger in her musical pursuits Opening for Amyl and the Sniffer’s Cartoon Darkness Tour, Miss Kaninna’s sound is staunch, proud, and deadly Best paired with a Saturday night out or a Sunday morning run
With upcoming release “Therapy” dropping in May, Dunghutti man Jimmy Kyle of Chasing Ghosts holds a rock/punk sound near and dear - while also drawing on culture and community through his sound Based in Lutruwita and Naarm, Chasing Ghosts is best enjoyed as a passionate live act.
DENNI, aka “Madam Pakana” is a Lutruwita-based independent artist. Delving into themes of Pakana/Palawa culture, experiences, and lifeworlds, DENNI incorporates hip-hop, folk, and the unique Cape Barren Island sound DENNI incorporates Palawa Kani into her music, an elegant way of storytelling which has already left its stamp in the game. Best listened to live…see you on 28th March at Altar.
Staunch Barkindji/Malyangapa rapper, BARKAA is riding the highs of her 2024 EP release “Big Tidda”, listed as one of Australia’s top female rappers and having embarked on her first national tour BARKAA is one to watch with her passionate bars, powerful sound, and community-based nature - she brings everyone up with her. BARKAA is best enjoyed live, everyone should see her once in their lifetime!
With the recent release of I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back (2024), Thelma Plum’s unique sound and authenticity as an artist draws on her background as a Gamilaraay woman growing up in Meanjin/Magandjin. Building on the success of Better in Blak (2019), Thelma’s recent LP explores introspective themes of place, her experiences throughout her life, and as an Aboriginal woman. Thelma makes for some fantastic study music, best enjoyed on a quiet night in
‘Don’t Cancel Your Student Council’
Told 8000 students the same spiel about TUSA with the same level of enthusiasm UniBar is closing!! (despite basically closing 12 years ago)
UTAS have released their Action Plan for Addressing Gender-Based Violence Food Hub opening in Launceston (other folks finally gave us funding cough cough, we promise we aren’t neglecting everyone else)
Watch out on the Rubric App for Vent Tents, Academic Roundtables, and other cool shit near you
Recent Events: Saul Eslake’s Island of Ideas Lecture
Josephine Palmer
Saul Eslake is an internationally esteemed Economist, as well as being a UTAS Alumnus, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, and proud Tasmanian. On Wednesday evening last week, he presented an insightful perspective and analysis on Tasmania’s Debt dilemma, as part of UTAS’s ‘Island of Ideas’ series. One of Eslake’s key driving points was that as a small state, our debt to cash ratio is completely skewed, and when we compare our debt levels to other states in Australia, it is astounding how much we really have. Eslake outlined that that the deterioration of Tasmania’s ‘General Governments’ financial position has occurred entirely under the present government’s watch and is a result of mismanagement by the Treasurer and Premier This issue has been compounding since 2014, and these forecast debt levels are predicted to increase for the forseeable future into 2028 (the end of the current predictive window), with our cash balance further reducing and overall fiscal balance, as a state, deteriorating A query which was at the forefront of my mind was whether this lack of governmental accountability, which is leading the state into an economic crisis almost on par with the Northern Territory is whether this simply is a lack of sufficient checks and balances on the Tasmanian Government? Is it bad luck and bad decision making? Or is this a systemic issue which is only going to shift if we have significant internal reform?
Eslake emphasized that Tasmania is facing a serious economic problem, and it is going to take a very carefully thought-out plan to solve this ‘debt dilemma’
An additional observation I made was that it appeared that at least 90% of the audience were over the age of 50 Intriguing for a University event facilitated by the Tasmanian School of Business and Economics (TSBE), formerly COBE As a business student myself I found this age demographic perplexing, especially given the magnitude of the issue and expected disproportionate impact upon our generation As Saul stated in his talk, younger generations may likely carry debt well into the future for services used by the current older generations So was this underrepresentation of younger generations because there is a lack of understanding within the business and economics cohorts as to the importance of talks like this, or is it because there is a disjoint in the university communicating to what I assume should be its target stakeholder, the student body
The opinions expressed herein are not those of the editors, the publishers, the University of Tasmania, or the Tasmanian University Student Association. Reasonable care is taken to ensure that the content and information included is as up-to-date and accurate as possible at the time of publication, but no responsibility can be taken towards Togatus for any errors or omissions. If you have concerns or questions about anything that has been published, contact the Editor-in-Chief, Evelyn Unwin Tew, by email
