Prof Terry Flew on how AI is changing communications
On Wednesday 20 August 2025, Prof Terry Flew delivered a guest lecture in Charles Sturt University's 'Thoughts On The Beyond' series, celebrating 50 years of communications scholarship at the university. Entitled 'AI and Communication: Trust, Ethics, Justice and Policy', the talk outlines some of context for, and themes of, the work Terry is doing as part of his ARC Laureate project researching mediated trust, with a particular focus on the significant impacts of AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Prof Alexandre Lefebvre on the liberal values that underpin social trust
Alexandre Lefebvre, Professor of Politics and Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Sydney, argues that liberalism isn't just a political ideology having to do with individual rights, parliaments, and courts. He says its core values permeate throughout much of our society, and offer a personal belief system that’s fundamental to many of us, whether religious or otherwise. Yet, at a time of increased populism and authoritarianism, these fundamental values – and the social trust that is built on them – are facing fresh challenges. Alexandre joins Terry to discuss these issues, which feature in his recent book, Liberalism as a Way of Life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Prof Nick Couldry from the LSE on how social media has failed society
Nick Couldry is Professor of Media, Communications and Social Theory Emeritus and Professorial Research Fellow in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science. As a sociologist of media and culture, he approaches media and communications from the perspective of the symbolic power that has been historically concentrated in media institutions. He is interested in how media and communications institutions and infrastructures contribute to various types of order – social, political, cultural, economic, and ethical.. In the past 10 years, his work has increasingly focussed on data questions, and ethics, politics and deep social implications of Big Data and small data practices. He is the author or editor of 17 books and many journal articles and book chapters.He has recently co-founded the Tierra Comun tri-lingual website (Englosh, Spanish and Portugese) to encourage networking with and among Latin American scholars and activists interested in data colonialism. Nick Couldry’s most recent book is The Space of the World: Can Human Solidarity Survive Social Media and What if it Can’t? It is the first of a three-book series titled Humanising the Future. We are at the International Communications Association’s 75th annual conference in Denver, Colorado, where we will discuss his most recent work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Lizzie O'Shea on why digital rights are human rights
In recent years, many major companies, both in Australia and around the world, have conspicuously failed to protect their customers’ data, leading to personal details being shared on the dark web. Global platform companies have facilitated the spread of disinformation and misinformation, while their algorithms have contributed to the fragmentation and polarisation of society. But governments in some parts of the world have sought to force these companies to lift their game, imposing more rigorous standards that mandate the protection of privacy and user data. In Australia, the government has passed new laws including the creation of a tort for serious invasions of privacy and expanding the investigative and enforcement powers of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Lizzie O’Shea is the founder and chair of Digital Rights Watch, an Australian non-government organisation which advocates for human rights protections in the digital world. Digital Rights Watch focuses on issues such as privacy, security, data rights, access to data and technology, and the role of journalism in holding technology companies to account.She also sits on the board of Blueprint for Free Speech and the Alliance for Gambling Reform. She’s a past recipient of the Davis Projects for Peace Prize and has been named a Human Rights Hero by Access Now. He 2019 book Future Histories: What Ada Lovelace, Tom Paine, and the Paris Commune Can Teach Us About Digital Technology was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award. Lizzie is also a regular panellist on the Burning Platforms podcast alongside Peter Lewis who appeared on our first episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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"A flashing warning light": discussing the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer
The 25th anniversary edition of the Edelman Trust Barometer revealed that Australia has slipped into distrust territory with a profound global shift to acceptance of aggressive action and deepening fears giving rise to a widespread sense of grievance.We were delighted to co-host the launch of the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer on 18 March. In collaboration with Edelman Australia and the Centre for AI, Trust and Governance, we brought together around 160 people at The Sybil Centre at the University of Sydney.This episode contains the panel discussion from the launch, facilitated by media commentator Tim Burrowes. Terry was joined on the panel by Kim Portrate, Milly Bannister and Jared Mondschein. This followed Terry's opening keynote address and a speech by Tom Robinson, CEO of Edelman Australia, that provided detailed analysis and insights from the Australian report – a separate conversation between Tom and Terry can be found in our previous episode.We highly recommend you download the report and find out more about the state of societal trust in Australia, and how it may impact your industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Governments, the economy and civil society depend on the public’s trust to work effectively – but this trust is declining in an age of polarisation and misinformation. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that this “malady of mistrust” is as damaging as COVID or climate change. We don’t talk much about trust – but we certainly notice when it breaks down, in corporate scandals or political coups. But in a time when many are losing faith in our most vital institutions, how can the bonds of trust be rebuilt?In Time for Trust, Terry Flew will explore these themes with leading experts on trust, from academics and journalists to community leaders, both from Australia and around the world. Professor Flew holds a prestigious Laureate Fellowship from the Australian Research Council. He’s particularly interested in “mediated trust” – that is, forms of trust and mistrust as they are expressed in and through the digital media technologies we use to make sense of the world. From trust in news to trust in digital platforms, from trust in corporations and governments to trust in AI, “Time for Trust” will ask – who, and what, do we trust, have we lost that trust, and can we get it back? And are technologies bringing us together or driving us apart?Join us for a fascinating journey through one of the most important issues facing people and societies everywhere. Because Billy Joel was right – it is a matter of trust.Time for Trust is brought to you by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Sydney, and the Australian Research Council. It's produced by Dominic Knight, and recorded on unceded Gadigal Land. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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