In depth on...

'The new barbarians' by Phillip Cenere. Opposite the Footbridge Theatre in a seemingly forgotten part of the University of Sydney's Camperdown campus, there are no cathedral-like sandstone buildings with gargoyles, cloisters, manicured lawns and courtyards.

Spinning - Out of Control? Spin doctors, publicists, press officers or communication professionals - whatever you choose to call them, they are a profession loathed by many, yet one which play a substantial role in the lives of journalists. As the interdependence between journalists and public relations professional's grows, Jessika Lofstedt looks at how PR tactics are used by journalists when creating the news.

Australia's Bill of Rights By Vince Morello Journalists' attempts at protecting their confidential sources are again being challenged.

Gender not genius still determines ratio in academia Deeply entrenched patriarchal practices still leave women underrepresented in higher university positions, according to British academic Dr Louise Morley. Jahnnabi Das reports.November, 2003

Rocking the Vote There is a saying in politics that decisions are made by those who show up. Phillip Cenere, September, 2003

How the role of women in newsrooms impacts on their status as professionals  
Research and analysis by Caroline Ayoub shows how society's perceptions of women's roles is being played out in newsrooms in Australia. June, 2003

The Crumbling of the Fourth Estate 
The war in Iraq which destroyed Hussein's regime also ruined the much-cherished Western liberal media tradition of the 'fourth estate' as 'embedded' journalists led the cheerleading for the Pentagon, writes media academic Kalinga Seneviratne May, 2003

The public interest in private lives By Bruce Andrews We live in a time when the most intimate details of a United States President’s adulterous affair are known to us and home movies of a famous actress having sex with her rock star husband are available at the click of a mouse on the Internet. For celebrities and national leaders, it seems there is nowhere to hide from our gaze.

The mother of all political debates should be put back in the cot By Kath Kenny Last month Senator Natasha Stott Despoja said a newspaper letter writer had once accused her of being incapable of leading a political party because she had never changed a baby’s nappy. Last week Bettina Arndt questioned the decision of champion skier Kirstie Marshall, the new Labor candidate for the Victorian seat of Forrest Hill, to run for public office because she's pregnant.

In fear of the republic By Sylvia Lawson The conversation happened back in May, in a living room crowded with teenage siblings, parents and friends; we meet every so often for French practice. The videotape that evening was from SBS' daily French news, and we were watching Jean-Marie le Pen in sinister-jovial, benign-grandfather mode.

Trial by media? by Michelle Tesoriero A consideration of the tensions between the media and the law explored in the context of three aspects of the Geoff Clark story.

Global Media Censorship by Shoba Rao Winner of the 2002 Vice Chancellor's Debating Essay Prize- Monash University

Media Restrictions at Woomera in the context of Free speech in Australia by Craig Roberts

In this essay Craig Roberts argues that both Australian law and free speech suggest that the media should be allowed access to the Woomera facility - contrary to recent events that have seen journalists detained, and one ABC journalist arrested.