Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jon Piccini @jonpiccini.bsky.social · 5d

The war against 'false news' is not 'new', but has been a concern of international organisations for over 100 years. The ever captivating Roland Burke launches a new Guardian column, Past/Present, sponsored by the @austhistassoc.bsky.social.

The fledgling UN tried to rein in mass-scale misinformation. The world turned its back and is now paying the price | Roland Burke

The ruinous result of the US approach to freedom of information and media has made anti-democratic contagion impossible to ignore

www.theguardian.com

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Kate Fullagar @kfullagar.bsky.social · 10d

katefullagar.com/2025/10/05/q...

Questions for Mai – ABR essay

Loved writing this more (for me) personal and reflective essay for Australian Book Review. It begins: Zoom in. The most unusual detail in this painting is the left hand, with tattooed dots carefull…

katefullagar.com

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Kate Fullagar @kfullagar.bsky.social · Sep 7

Job Ready Graduates. August 2025. @jasonclaremp.bsky.social #scottmorrisonneverforgive #ALPhardlybetteronhighered

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Laurence Totelin @ltotelin.bsky.social · Sep 6

A good piece about the situation in Australia HE (several years ahead of the rest of the Anglosphere in destroying its sector). Consultants must go - but before that happens, knowledge of what they do must increase among uni communities. Many don't even know consultants are involved in the debacle.

Universities have lost their way, but cost-cutting and consultants are not the answer

Last week in Sydney, we saw a melodrama acted out that could stand in for the state of Australian universities more generally.

theconversation.com

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QM_UCU @qmucu.bsky.social · Sep 6

VERY helpful compilation of pieces about Higher Education consultancy NOUS. They repeat the same pattern in Australia, Canada, & now #UKHE: prey on a sector under pressure, promise drastic savings to managers, and then cut staff input + blandify the programme + cut support, and pocket all the money.

Nous Group and UniForum

Resource List ResourceDescriptionExcerptDeb Verhoeven and Ben Eltham. “Nousferatu”: Are corporate consultants extracting the lifeblood from universities?Analysis of the ‘vampiric’ tende…

qcaa.ca

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Kate Fullagar @kfullagar.bsky.social · Aug 27

Enjoyed this (now rather old) podcast I did with Richard Whatmore on his book, The End of Enlightenment. We discuss eighteenth-century Europe, Trumpian USA, and Australia's Voice referendum. katefullagar.com/2025/08/27/p...

Podcast on Enlightenment

Loved doing this podcast with Richard Whatmore for the ANU’s new Urgent History series. It was based mostly on Richard’s last book, The End of Enlightenment (2023), which I reviewed in …

katefullagar.com

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Kate Fullagar @kfullagar.bsky.social · Aug 19

Why is Aussie media so bad, shallow, and right wing? archive.is/pNQrm afr. www.afr.com/policy/healt...

Long-term vision for universities hung up on short-term politics

Jason Clare’s blueprint calls into question the raison d’être of universities and whether they should exist merely to fill the pipeline of human capital for industry.

www.afr.com

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Kate Fullagar @kfullagar.bsky.social · Aug 14

@historymatterssyd.bsky.social and I are delighted to see the UNSETTLING PORTRAITS podcast get Highly Commended in these Digital History Awards! www.sl.nsw.gov.au/awards/nsw-h... (link to the podcast in this linked page)

our judges' comments were: A bold and intellectually rich contribution to historical storytelling, this series tackles the inherent challenge of discussing visual sources in an audio format with ingenuity and sensitivity, vividly evoking colonial portraits for listeners without relying on visuals. By combining expert narration with scholarly and Indigenous voices, the series decodes artworks that span continents and centuries, situating Australian examples within the global processes of empire and colonialism.

The series exemplifies original, decolonising historical work, challenging Eurocentric readings and expanding historical consciousness through cross-cultural and transnational perspectives. Particularly striking are the discussions with Indigenous scholars, which reframe the meaning and significance of colonial images and, importantly, ask what use such images are in the present day. The series’ analytical depth, emotional resonance, and imaginative use of sound make it a standout example of how non-print media can powerfully reframe public understanding of the past.

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Kate Fullagar @kfullagar.bsky.social · Aug 2

Fascinating story. @newrepublic.com

Shannon Mattern @shannonmattern.bsky.social · Aug 2

“The NYPL, the MIT computing school, and Yale’s performing arts ctr all bear the name of Stephen Schwarzman, co-founder of Blackstone. The idea that these men are facilitating free-market natural section has contributed to a lack of meaningful regulation—though the donations… certainly don’t hurt.”

Inside the Private Equity Scam—and the Livelihoods It Has Destroyed

Financiers have bamboozled the public for years about their expertise in “fixing” companies. Yet they often—and sometimes deliberately—run them into the ground.

newrepublic.com

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Shannon Mattern @shannonmattern.bsky.social · Aug 2

“The NYPL, the MIT computing school, and Yale’s performing arts ctr all bear the name of Stephen Schwarzman, co-founder of Blackstone. The idea that these men are facilitating free-market natural section has contributed to a lack of meaningful regulation—though the donations… certainly don’t hurt.”

Inside the Private Equity Scam—and the Livelihoods It Has Destroyed

Financiers have bamboozled the public for years about their expertise in “fixing” companies. Yet they often—and sometimes deliberately—run them into the ground.

newrepublic.com

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Kate Fullagar @kfullagar.bsky.social · Aug 1

Shorten reeeeeally grasping for straws here. “Can’t wave a wand.” My man, they’ve been in power for over three YEARS. They just spent 20b on debt relief. The cost of scrapping JRG (they say here) is 1b They have lost the messaging here @australianlabor.bsky.social archive.is/rxSze

archive.is

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Kate Fullagar @kfullagar.bsky.social · Jul 31

Very cool. Though much of this research undertaken by @austhistassoc.bsky.social Help take action by addressing our petition: :) www.openpetition.org/au/petition/...

Repeal Job-Ready Graduates Policy Now: Restoring Equity in Higher Education - Online petition

We sign this petition in solidarity with those who signed the Open Letter to the Prime Minister on 28 July 2025 (https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jul/28/open-letter-to-australian-govern...

www.openpetition.org

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Kate Fullagar @kfullagar.bsky.social · Jul 31

@austhistassoc.bsky.social taking a lead here. Pls sign this petition and share it around:) www.openpetition.org/au/petition/...

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Mark Carney @mark-carney.bsky.social · Jul 30

Canada has long been committed to a two-state solution — an independent, viable, and sovereign Palestinian state living side by side with the State of Israel in peace and security.

My statement on Canada’s recognition of a Palestinian state:

Statement by Prime Minister Carney on Canada’s recognition of a Palestinian state.

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Kate Fullagar @kfullagar.bsky.social · Jul 30

More media on this. Now me on ABC Lismore radio at the 45 minute mark: www.abc.net.au/listen/progr... See also our list of media growing here on the petition: www.openpetition.org/au/petition/...

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Andrew Norton @andrewjnorton.bsky.social · Jul 29

The government's proposed HELP repayment system puts more female debtors at risk of a lifetime of debt. andrewnorton.id.au/2025/07/29/t...

The new HELP repayment system and lifetimes of student debt

The prime minister says that a degree should not come with a lifetime of debt. For that goal, the government’s HELP legislation introduced last week is contradictory. It will cut all debt owe…

andrewnorton.id.au

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Kate Fullagar @kfullagar.bsky.social · Jul 29

Now with a signatory Peter Tesch (former ambassador to Germany, Russia, and former Dep Sec Defence) on ABC radio at 35 minute mark, explaining and demonstrating the value of his BA: www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...