The Yarn is a podcast showcasing work from The Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne. It features original reporting by students, content from The Citizen publication, as well as talks and events held by the Centre.
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The Little Red Podcast: interviews and chat celebrating China beyond the Beijing beltway. Hosted by Graeme Smith, China studies academic at the Australian National University's Department of Pacific Affairs and Louisa Lim, former China correspondent for the BBC and NPR, now with the Centre for Advancing Journalism at Melbourne University. We are the 2018 winners of podcast of the year in the News & Current Affairs category of the Australian Podcast Awards. Follow us @limlouisa and @GraemeKSm ...
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Learning Through Listening: Lessons in audio from some of the best audio journalists in the world, hosted by Louisa Lim from the Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne.
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The Baillieu Library is the largest library here at the University of Melbourne. Walking through the library, the shelves are filled with books on everything from philosophy and history, to science and computing, all from a Western Eurocentric perspective. But the library also holds one of the largest collections of Rare East Asian books and materi…
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After President-elect Donald Trump's landslide win and a federal election looming, Australian politicians have lessons to learn from the US election. The Yarn spoke to two US political analysts, on different sides of the political aisle, to get a breakdown of the Republicans' success. Tim Lynch is a professor of American politics at the University …
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The Harry Brookes Allen Museum is one of many collections at the University of Melbourne. The University has collected artefacts that has contributed to a wealth of knowledge that is vital to Melbourne, Australia and the world. But the way University scholars collected these artefacts was not always done in an ethical way. Reporter Haoyue Deng lear…
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The Centre of the Vortex: Survivors' Notes from Hong Kong Writers
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Writers from Hong Kong face a Kafkaesque decision in the years since draconian security legislation was imposed on the city: to stay and be subject to intense censorship, or to write freely from exile. In this episode, Louisa speaks to two award-winning authors who have chosen different paths. Lau Yeewa is still living in Hong Kong; her book Tongue…
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What would Australia look like if we had monkeys swinging around our cities? In the late 19th Century, a number of associations called “acclimatisation societies” sprung up across Australia with the goal of bringing familiar plants and animals to what the British colonists saw as an impoverished landscape. This episode explores the massive ecologic…
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The Old Quadrangle is one of the most photographed spots on the University of Melbourne campus, with students and tourists alike posing under its iconic archways. The romantic European architecture feels like you've been transported to the set of Hogwarts, but did you know that the stones used to create this effect were stolen from Indigenous lands…
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Between the 1800s to1950s, anthropologists at the University of Melbourne were digging up burial sites of First Nations ancestors who had been laid to rest and collecting, rather stealing, their bodies. And while some of these human remains were returned to land and reburied, one collection remained hidden away at the university in a storage room u…
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On the surface, the University of Melbourne is a historical spectacle – with its grand arches, stone facades, echoing hallways, and the chimes of the old clocktower. But this university is also home to many secrets, from human remains unearthed on university grounds, to its role in nuclear testing on Indigenous lands. In an eight-part series, stude…
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Special Criminal Zones: China’s Pig Butchers Pivot to the West
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In our third episode on pig butchering scams, we explore the origins of the Chinese criminal syndicates that enslave people from at least 66 different countries. We examine the institutions supporting this appalling business, from the Thai military to cryptocurrencies, Burmese border guard forces to special economic zones. And the marks for these s…
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News Bites: Threats to Journalism with Silvia Montaña-Niño
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This week, we're bringing you another episode of News Bites, a series of live interviews about the craft of journalism. Today’s guest is Silvia Montaña-Niño. Silvia is a new CAJ lecturer and was a journalist at El Espectador, one of Columbia’s most important newspapers. At the start of her career, Columbia was besieged by guerilla warfare and death…
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News Bites: Racing the Clock with Dr Caroline James-Garrod
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Today’s News Bites guest is journalist and CAJ Lecturer Dr Caroline James-Garrod. Caroline got her start as a cadet at Leader Community Newspapers in Melbourne. Since then, she’s had an expansive career working across the country and abroad. She’s also seen major industry upheavals, from the rise of the 24/7 online news cycle to the era of mass job…
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News Bites: Journalism in Times of Crisis with Khalid Amiri
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This week, we're bringing you another episode of News Bites, a series of live interviews about the craft of journalism. Today’s guest is Khalid Amiri, who was a prominent news presenter for the Afghan state broadcaster RTA. He’s known for his courageous reporting and outspoken criticism of the Taliban. After Kabul fell in August 2021, Khalid and hi…
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In Victorian London, a persistent rumour spread of a murderer who could leap between the city’s alleyways to avoid detection. Newspapers called him spring-heeled jack—one of the first ever urban legends. He wasn’t real, but the fears that inspired him were. Fears of rapidly changing urban spaces and the upheavals of industrialization. This week, we…
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Cognitive hazing: The Disinformation War on Taiwan?
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Taiwan is ground zero for cognitive warfare, with the island subject to more disinformation than any other democracy. The targets are political candidates, media outlets, even boy bands. The threat is so serious that Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice recently set up a Cognitive Warfare Research Center. To explore this war for Taiwanese minds, Louisa and…
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A decade before the global internet even existed, William Gibson coined the term "cyberspace". He was describing a realm of pure information in his 1983 novel Neuromancer. The story unfolds in a future where data flows form the arteries of an interconnected world. It’s one of many inventions that appeared in novels and films years before they mater…
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Back in the 13th Century, a catastrophic eruption in Indonesia ushered in a “volcanic winter”. Sulfur smothered the sky, causing crop failure and famine as far away as Europe. Almost 800 years later, geoengineers are considering replicating this effect on purpose. The theory goes that plumes of aerosols could shield us from the sun and combat clima…
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When we think of navigation, we imagine satellite imagery mapping our world with laser-point precision. But not all maps are for navigating reality. "World building” describes the mapping of entire fictional realms. Think the vast continent of Middle Earth in Lord of the Rings, or the expansive galaxies of Star Trek. But it doesn’t end there. It ca…
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2030. That’s the date renowned futurist Ray Kurzweil says humans could merge with machines and achieve immortality. He's is a disciple of transhumanism — a movement aiming to cheat death through technological innovations. We might not get there by 2030, but this week, we’re bringing you stories about the breakthroughs paving the way. Stories about …
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For Australian whistleblowers, the truth often comes at price. The Human Rights Law Centre says federal whistleblowing laws have failed to protect a single person since their inception, and those who speak out risk exorbitant fines or even jail time. Today, you’ll hear from a panel of experts who say reforms are long overdue: Kieran Pender (an expe…
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The Pig Butcher’s Payroll: Inside a Romance Scam
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After our last episode on an online romance scam operating out of Palau we were contacted by Neo Lu, who was trafficked to work in an online scam camp on the Myanmar-Thailand border, the victim of a $US3 trillion global criminal industry. He joins Louisa and Graeme to offer jaw-dropping detail on life inside a scam centre, the mechanics of pig butc…
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Fraud Factories and Pig Butchery: Chinese Triads go Pacific
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Chinese triads have been making a Pacific play, notably in the tiny nation of Palau. There a notorious triad boss - nicknamed Broken Tooth - reinvented himself as a CCP-linked businessman trying to set up a 'gangster-themed' casino, while police busted a Chinese 'fraud factory'. In Palau, this scam scheme was linked to businessmen touting United Fr…
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News Bites: Dylan Bird on Building a Career in Audio
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Today we're returning to our News Bites series which spotlights the work of staff and students at the Centre for Advancing Journalism. This week’s guest is podcaster, PhD candidate, and former journalism student Dylan Bird. You might recognise his voice from Triple R’s Future Perfect program, which Dylan hosts. He also works behind the scenes on th…
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24 hours after announcing a partial victory, the pro-Palestine encampment at the University of Melbourne is still intact and students are still occupying the Arts West building. It’s not what they were anticipating yesterday. During a press conference last night, a pro-Palestine spokesperson said the university had agreed to a deal that could end t…
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On Wednesday, dozens of pro-Palestine protesters occupied the University of Melbourne’s Arts West building. They say this sit-in will last until they are either forcibly removed or their demands are met. They’re calling for the divestment of university funds from weapons manufacturers. The university has threatened those involved with severe conseq…
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S3E12: S03E12: Wing Kuang on Starting a Career in Journalism
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“What makes you different from your peers who also want to get a job in journalism? ABC audio producer and digital reporter Wing Kuang is an expert at turning a disadvantage into an asset. Having first come to Australia as an international student, she encountered a lot of barriers to finding a job as a journalist. She says that community radio pro…
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For our hundredth episode, there was only one choice in the Year of the Dragon. We tackle the scaly mythical beast, which now finds itself central to the Party’s image. We look at the political efficacy of the dragon for the CCP, which has recently launched a nationalistic rebranding campaign for the ‘loong’ to distinguish it from evil Western drag…
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Coming up to its third week, the Gaza solidarity camp at the University of Melbourne is growing — It’s almost quadrupled to at least ninety tents. But the encampment is coming under increasing pressure. Last Thursday, pro-Israel demonstrators marched across campus, culminating in a face off with pro-Palestine students amid a heavy police presence. …
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S3E11: S03E11: Kirsti Melville on Working with Sound
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“The minute I walk into that space, I turn my audio ears on.” ABC broadcaster Kirsti Melville is an award-winning radio documentary maker, who always starts planning for an audio feature by thinking about sound. Melville describes how she triages the audio in any recording environment, and how she works with sound to create immersive and impactful …
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Special Report: The Gaza Solidarity Encampment
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On ANZAC Day last week, protesters set up camp at the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus. Since then, the “Gaza solidarity encampment” has been the epicentre of several peaceful demonstrations attracting hundreds of participants. On Monday, more than 300 protesters marched on campus demanding the university to cut ties with weapons manufact…
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S3E10: S03E10: Tamara Oudyn on Voice in Audio Journalism
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“Your voice is such a personal quality…It’s like your own aural fingerprint.” As an ABC voice coach and journalist, Tamara Oudyn is shaping the diverse voices of the national broadcaster. Here she describes the lessons she teaches cadets, including the role of the 3ps - pitch, pace and pausing - in broadcasting. Her emphasis is on training young jo…
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Melbourne’s status as Australia's live music capital is under threat. Since the start of the pandemic, one third of small and mid-sized venues nation-wide have closed their doors for good. This week we’re bringing you stories about how performers along the number 19 tramline are getting by. It's the third episode of Tram Tales. Our new series about…
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S3E9: S0309: Jo Lauder on Audio Storytelling
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"The thing that I love about audio is that...it's really intimate." ABC journalist Jo Lauder says audio can be really effective in transporting the listener to a particular time and place. She explains how she goes about planning different types of audio pieces, whether for Triple J's Hack or long-form narrative podcasts like Saving the Franklin. S…
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Ask a group of teenagers about their dream jobs and you’ll likely hear a familiar list: doctor, lawyer, architect, psychologist... According to an OECD survey, these are some of the most desired jobs among students worldwide. But what about all the jobs they don’t even know exist? This week, we’re bringing you stories from off the beaten career pat…
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S3E8: S03E08: Daniel Browning on Objectivity in Journalism
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“Who measures objectivity? Who judges objectivity?” Objectivity is traditionally seen as a cardinal tenet of journalism, but Daniel Browning's long experience in Australian newsrooms has left him questioning whether objectivity is possible, or even beneficial. The Bundjalung and Kullili man, who leads the ABC's Indigenous Radio unit, says First Nat…
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The number 19 tramline is Melbourne’s backbone, taking passengers all the way from Coburg north to Flinders Street Station. Our new series, Tram Tales, shares the stories and struggles of people who, live, work, and travel along this central artery. For our first episode, we're focusing on an issue that’s top of mind for most Australians — the cost…
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S3E7: S03E07: Konrad Marshall on the Craft of Feature Writing
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“Always get the name of the dog, the brand of the beer, and the title of the song that was playing as the car crashed off the road.” This is one writing commandment that the award-winning writer for Good Weekend Konrad Marshall keeps top of mind, as told to him by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tom French. For Marshall, that attention to detail is one trade…
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In the days of hunter-gatherers, social exclusion meant certain death. Humans have evolved with a primal need for belonging — and we still suppress our differences so we can fit in. But what happens when we buck this trend? This week, we’re bringing you stories about embracing our differences. It’s the sixth episode of Not Natural, a series about t…
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Hold my popcorn: Diplomatic war in the Pacific Theatre
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China’s largesse in the Pacific is nothing if not visible. From mobile phone towers to gleaming stadiums and government buildings, Beijing’s splashing out on those it sees as choosing “the right side of history.” In this episode, we explore Taiwan’s future in the Pacific as it is deserted by its former diplomatic allies, lured by Beijing’s goodies.…
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S3E6: S03E06: Stephanie Convery on Feature Stories
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“Focus on the intimate and particular.” When it comes to feature writing, Stephanie Convery says it is often the small details that count. Her work with Guardian Australia involves shining a light on inequality, and frequently focuses on people’s personal circumstances. She likens features to creative writing in the need to draw on literary devices…
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According to an old urban myth, a frog suddenly dropped in boiling water will instantly leap out to safety. But if the water is tepid and gradually heated, the oblivious frog will slowly boil to death. This process is a metaphor for human psychology — especially when it comes to ecological decline. Over time, gradual changes can make unprecedented …
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S3E5: S03E05: Laura Murphy-Oates on Interviewing
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“You can’t go in with no idea of what you might hope to get out of it, but you have to be open to what happens in the interview.” As former host of Guardian Australia’s Full Story podcast, Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to people for a living. Here she outlines her rules for interviewing, including the pre-interview research process and how to structure…
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Every day, our brains take cognitive shortcuts. Our limited time and attention make it easy to fall back on familiar biases. Among the most deeply ingrained is the assumption that “natural” always means “healthier”. This week, we’re interrogating this idea with stories about “natural” and synthetic remedies. It’s the fourth episode of Not Natural, …
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S3E4: S03E04: Saffron Howden on Writing News Stories
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"If you haven't grabbed the readers' attention within the first 10-12 words, you lose them." Saffron Howden's job is training journalists how to write news for Australian Community Media. She sees news journalists as storytellers dealing in facts, who need to always be thinking about their audience. In this episode, she offers tips on the craft of …
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In the throes of addiction, people can enter a time warp. The clock seemingly stops when cravings are met and dopamine floods the brain. But I’m not talking about drugs. I’m talking about social media. Heavy users can squander hours per day on TikTok binges. And the App’s developers see this as a feature, not a flaw. This week, we’re bringing you s…
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Social media feeds can make Botox and fillers seem as commonplace as getting a haircut. On TikTok alone, the plastic surgery hashtag has 22 billion views. Is this newfound acceptance democratising beauty, or making beauty obligatory? And who gets to decide what counts as beautiful? This week, we’re binging you stories about our increasingly narrow …
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S3E3: S03E03: Nick McKenzie on Ethics and Defamation
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"It's about fairness in the search for the truth, and fairness in publishing our stories." The Age's Nick McKenzie has put fairness at the centre of his journalistic identity. It's led him to break some of the nation's biggest stories, winning him 16 Walkleys, but also has meant he's been sued for defamation on multiple occasions. In this episode, …
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S3E2: S03E02: Finding Interviewees with Julia Bergin
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"Every story that you do, you need to talk to people." Julia Bergin's journalistic career has taken her as far afield as Japan and the Northern Territory, meaning she's had to work at building up her contact book time and time again. In this episode, she talks about all that goes into finding the right interviewees for a story. "It's broadening thi…
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There’s this phrase God Mode that was born out of the gaming world. It refers to a notorious cheat code in the 1993 shooter game, Doom. Once activated, a player becomes invincible and vanquishes opponents with ease. Nowadays, God mode is a slang term for achieving superhuman feats in real life, and in our era of artificial intelligence and cybernet…
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S3E1: S03E01: Finding a News Story with Angus Thomson
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“You have to learn by doing, and you will only get better with practice.” Angus Thomson started with Sydney Morning Herald as a cadet in 2022, and is currently their health reporter. In this episode he explains how he goes about finding news stories, reflecting on his experience as a student at The University of Melbourne and as a professional jour…
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The Feminists have Stood Up: Gender and Comedy in China
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Stand-up comedy looked set to be the next big thing on China’s entertainment scene, with shows like Roast Convention drawing billions of views and comics scoring lucrative commercial endorsements. But comedy now finds itself in retreat. A new wave of feminist comics is struggling with attacks from online trolls and a disapproving state. To ask whet…
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