Today, we return to a good news story as we kick off a new year. The fame of Robert Irwin, the son of ‘crocodile hunter’ Steve Irwin, was supercharged recently when he won one of America's top reality television shows, Dancing with the Stars.

Our culture editor-at-large Michael Idato delves into the Irwin family empire and how Robert Irwin’s brand of “nice” won over America.

And we hope you have a safe and happy new year.

Today, we return to a good news story as we kick off a new year. The fame of Robert Irwin, the son of &lsquo;crocodile hunter&rsquo; Steve Irwin, was supercharged recently when he won one of America's top reality television shows,&nbsp;Dancing with the Stars.
Our culture editor-at-large Michael Idato delves into the Irwin family empire and how Robert Irwin&rsquo;s brand of &ldquo;nice&rdquo; won over America.
And we hope you have a safe and happy new year.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition

New episodes from ongoing Metro podcast series. 

New episodes from ongoing Metro podcast series.&nbsp;

New episodes

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoy this podcast and want to hear more, please rate, review & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods.

The Morning Edition&nbsp;brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/by/samantha-selinger-morris-p4yvwp">Samantha Selinger-Morris</a> from the newsrooms of <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/">The Sydney Morning Herald</a> and <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/">The Age</a>, weekdays from 5am.
If you enjoy this podcast and want to hear more, please rate, review &amp; subscribe on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/channel/smh-the-age/id6442611511">Apple</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1v0tWOA2mdi5WU9hvjJ3da?si=f4b8d7fafdf5495d">Spotify</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrLulycax3584BxKI1ZqSySsouknCWiUa">YouTube</a>&nbsp;or whichever platform you&nbsp;find your pods.

Best of 2025:  How a dancing Robert Irwin became America’s antidote

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/ef6d80dd-1065-426f-bcba-b3b700a72d62/transcript

It’s the Australian government versus big tech yet again in parliament this week, with Labor planning to introduce a bill that would tackle online harm and hand back control of social media algorithms to users.

It comes as toxic online content is increasingly linked to violent sexualised behaviour in young men.
But is what we see on social media a matter for a government? Or has the algorithm become so out of hand that guardrails need to be put in place?

Today's guest is federal bureau chief Michelle Griffin.

Background reading:
Hardline free-speech campaigners demand Coalition block Labor’s latest social media plan

 

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts.

It&rsquo;s the Australian government versus big tech yet again in parliament this week, with Labor planning to introduce a bill that would&nbsp;<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/hardline-free-speech-campaigners-demand-coalition-block-labor-s-latest-social-media-plan-20260907-p60v39.html?utm_source=omny&amp;utm_medium=podcast_notes&amp;utm_campaign=the_morning_edition&amp;utm_content=&amp;utm_term=newsroom">tackle online harm and hand back control of social media algorithms to users</a>.
It comes as toxic online content is increasingly linked to violent sexualised behaviour in young men. But is what we see on social media a matter for a government? Or has the algorithm become so out of hand that guardrails need to be put in place?
Today's guest is federal bureau chief Michelle Griffin. Background reading:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/hardline-free-speech-campaigners-demand-coalition-block-labor-s-latest-social-media-plan-20260907-p60v39.html?utm_source=omny&amp;utm_medium=podcast_notes&amp;utm_campaign=the_morning_edition&amp;utm_content=&amp;utm_term=newsroom">Hardline free-speech campaigners demand Coalition block Labor&rsquo;s latest social media plan</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/"> The Sydney Morning Herald</a> and<a href="https://www.theage.com.au/"> The Age</a>, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/channel/smh-the-age/id6442611511"> Apple</a>,<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1v0tWOA2mdi5WU9hvjJ3da?si=f4b8d7fafdf5495d"> Spotify</a>,<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrLulycax3584BxKI1ZqSySsouknCWiUa"> YouTube</a> or whichever platform you find your podcasts.

Government v the internet: Albanese eyes algorithm ‘off switch’

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/d60eb8cc-f01a-44e5-956d-b4be0079b5d0/transcript

It was a dramatic fall from grace for a brand that had taken the world by storm by making sunscreen sexy, with influencers around the globe extolling how flawlessly the products wore under make-up and felt virtually undetectable on the skin.

Today, lifestyle reporter Lauren Ironmonger and business reporter Jessica Yun talk about the fallout a year on from the Choice findings, and whether the safety of sunscreens in Australia has been improved.

Further reading:
'It took two Aussie entrepreneurs six years to build a cult sunscreen brand. Then it came crashing down '

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods.

It was a dramatic fall from grace for a brand that had taken the world by storm by making sunscreen sexy, with influencers around the globe extolling how flawlessly the products wore under make-up and felt virtually undetectable on the skin. Today, lifestyle reporter Lauren Ironmonger and business reporter Jessica Yun talk about the fallout a year on from the Choice findings, and whether the safety of sunscreens in Australia has been improved.
Further reading:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/beauty/it-took-two-aussie-entrepreneurs-six-years-to-build-a-cult-sunscreen-brand-then-it-came-crashing-down-20251103-p5n7au.html?utm_source=omny&amp;utm_medium=podcast_notes&amp;utm_campaign=the_morning_edition&amp;utm_content=&amp;utm_term=newsroom">'It took two Aussie entrepreneurs six years to build a cult sunscreen brand. Then it came crashing down '</a></li>
</ul>
The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/"> The Sydney Morning Herald</a> and<a href="https://www.theage.com.au/"> The Age</a>, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/channel/smh-the-age/id6442611511"> Apple</a>,<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1v0tWOA2mdi5WU9hvjJ3da?si=f4b8d7fafdf5495d"> Spotify</a>,<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrLulycax3584BxKI1ZqSySsouknCWiUa"> YouTube</a> or whichever platform you find your pods.

Sunscreen wars: The Ultra Violette scandal

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/32ad9e5d-179d-43fe-b324-b4bb00893965/transcript

In this week’s episode, we dissect Labor’s brutal loss to One Nation in a supposedly safe seat in Western Australia.

Does this byelection really signify, as victor Luke Herdegen put it, that no MP is safe from the “orange tsunami”?

One Liberal MP who is worried is Andrew Hastie. Liberal strategists have been telling us his stance against accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith may cause voters in his electorate to defect to One Nation.

Also, this week One Nation leader Pauline Hanson claimed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s rhetoric was fuelling violence towards her.

Is this a bit rich coming from someone who is so divisive? Or should we be looking at threats to politicians more seriously?

Today’s episode is hosted, as usual, by Jacqueline Maley with chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal. Today's guest is WAtoday state political reporter Hamish Hastie.


Cut through the noise of federal politics with host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal on Inside Politics, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, every Friday.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods.

In this week&rsquo;s episode, we dissect Labor&rsquo;s brutal loss to One Nation in a supposedly safe seat in Western Australia.
Does this byelection really signify, as victor Luke Herdegen put it, that no MP is safe from the &ldquo;orange tsunami&rdquo;?
One Liberal MP who is worried is Andrew Hastie. Liberal strategists have been telling us his stance against accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith may cause voters in his electorate to defect to One Nation.
Also, this week One Nation leader Pauline Hanson claimed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese&rsquo;s rhetoric was fuelling violence towards her.
Is this a bit rich coming from someone who is so divisive? Or should we be looking at threats to politicians more seriously?
Today&rsquo;s episode is hosted, as usual, by Jacqueline Maley with chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal. Today's guest is&nbsp;WAtoday state political reporter Hamish Hastie.
 Cut through the noise of federal politics with host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal on Inside Politics, from the newsrooms of<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/"> The Sydney Morning Herald</a> and<a href="https://www.theage.com.au/"> The Age</a>, every Friday.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/inside-politics/id1738365431"> Apple</a>,<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/29UKjyueywTgAL0Pk4Er8v"> Spotify</a>,<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrLulycax3584BxKI1ZqSySsouknCWiUa"> YouTube</a> or whichever platform you find your pods.

What One Nation’s WA win means, and Hanson’s incitement claim

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/d2dec2d1-d704-4a1d-9108-b4ba00514ebd/transcript

Best of 2025: How a dancing Robert Irwin became America’s antidote

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