David Marr Resigns Alongside Sam Maiden After Honi Soit Revokes Speaking Invitation

Before Samantha Maiden became the Gold Walkley award-winning political editor of news.com.au, she served as the editor of the student newspaper On Dit at Adelaide University. Therefore, when invited to speak at the Student Journalism Conference organized by Honi Soit at the University of Sydney in August, she gladly accepted. The organizers expressed great enthusiasm, stating they would be “honoured” to have her present, calling it a “highlight” of the event.

However, this week, the tone shifted significantly. In an email to Maiden, the conference organizers conveyed, “We have received community concerns regarding your political coverage and reporting on the Palestinian genocide.” They added that as a left-leaning publication, Honi Soit believes that “Israel is committing an ongoing genocide in Palestine” and hence found their values incompatible with Maiden’s work. Consequently, she was de-platformed.

On Thursday, Maiden expressed her confusion over the decision, stating, “The truly weird aspect of this bizarre cancelling is I don’t recall writing anything about Palestine recently at all, let alone anything controversial.” She questioned whether a platform like Honi Soit, alongside the conference, should not be a space for exchanging diverse and, at times, uncomfortable perspectives.

Distinguished journalist David Marr, another speaker initially scheduled for the conference, reacted strongly to Maiden’s de-platforming. When he learned of the decision, he conveyed to the organizers that it did not align with what he believed good journalism—especially from a student paper—should exemplify. He echoed Maiden’s sentiment, asking if the purpose of such forums should not encompass exploring various, even contentious, viewpoints.

In response, Honi Soit stated their aim was to create a “safe place” for their student community, suggesting that had they not uninvited Maiden due to the complaints, protests or boycotts could have occurred during the event. This assertion led Marr to challenge the concept of a “safe place,” questioning whether fears of protests should dictate the openness of discourse at universities, further pointing out that de-platforming speakers undermines the very right to free expression the community should advocate.

In the meantime, the social media account for the Student Journalism Conference has yet to reflect Maiden’s cancellation and continues to promote both her and Marr as confirmed speakers.

In other unrelated news, while fact-checkers have debunked misconceptions about travelers mistakenly purchasing tickets to Austria instead of Australia, it seems that confusion remains prevalent in some news outlets. Even the New York Times made a misstep this week by mistakenly attributing a fake “exclusive” interview with Clint Eastwood to an Australian publication, when it was actually the Austrian newspaper Kurier responsible for it.

The tension between News Corp and the NRL is noteworthy, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age. High-ranking officials at Murdoch newspapers skipped the NRL hospitality during the recent State of Origin match in Brisbane due to ongoing disputes with Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys. This rift arose following investigative reports in the Daily Telegraph, Courier Mail, and Code Sports highlighting that a significant portion of player agents believe drug use is problematic within the sport.

Despite the boycott from the newspaper editors, News Corp chairman Lachlan Murdoch attended the Brisbane match from his private suite, showcasing a stark contrast in positions.

In a significant shift, News Corp Australia has adopted artificial intelligence for its illustrations and even has begun generating numerous articles weekly utilizing AI technology. For instance, a recent news.com.au article addressing AI’s impact on employment featured an AI-generated image. The piece highlighted the ongoing discourse around how AI is replacing jobs across service industries, sparking questions regarding the editors’ awareness of the irony presented in their choice of imagery.

The highly publicized Victorian Supreme Court trial relating to a beef wellington lunch resulting in three fatalities has captured significant media and public interest. High-profile attendance includes celebrated writer Helen Garner, alongside a surge in podcast content following the case. However, some media outlets, including Crikey and the ABC, have breached a suppression order on certain names. The ABC’s podcast, Mushroom Case Daily, also inadvertently violated this order but has since addressed the issue.

Finally, former editor-in-chief of the Australian Financial Review, Michael Stutchbury, has transitioned to a role with the Centre for Independent Studies, a centre-right think tank. Following less than a year as editor-at-large, he steps in as executive director, succeeding Tom Switzer.

Joining the Australian Financial Review this week, although not as a replacement for Stutchbury, is Kate de Brito, previously the editor-in-chief of news.com.au and Kidspot, and head of digital for the News Corp editorial network. De Brito’s appointment as deputy editor news comes after Jessica Gardner’s move to become the US correspondent.