Denis Muller Dr Denis Muller has been a journalist, political scientist and senior executive in the Victorian Public Service. He is a Fellow at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Advancing Journalism and a leading expert in media ethics. Follow Denis Muller
Liberals’ Dan Andrews questions are a perfect case study in how to manufacture fake news June 11, 2021 By Denis Muller Editors' Picks A case study in the manufacture of fake news is playing out right now in Melbourne.
The times suited him, then passed him by: the Alan Jones radio era comes to an end May 13, 2020 By Denis Muller Editors' Picks It is remarkable that his recipe of nostalgia, bullying and reactionary politics, all delivered in a ranting, hectoring style, is as successful today as it has been for the whole 35 years of his career in radio broadcasting.
Dutton directive gives journalists more breathing space, but not whistleblowers August 12, 2019 By Denis Muller Editors' Picks In light of the ministerial direction issued to the Australian Federal Police by the Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on August 9, it would be a spectacular contradiction in policy if the Australian Federal Police’s current pursuit of journalists were to end in prosecutions.
Barnaby Joyce’s decision to sell his story is a breach of professional ethics May 31, 2018 By Denis Muller Editors' Picks The ex-deputy PM’s decision to accept money for a TV interview betrays a complete lack of understanding of the convention that, in democratic political systems, public officials are accountable through the media to the people.
The art of the leak: how the budget is strategically doled out for maximum effect May 10, 2017 By Denis Muller Features Over time, governments came to see that there was political gain to be had by selectively leaking both the budget deliberations and some of the actual measures. The operative word is ‘selective’.
Whistleblowers pay a high price for embarrassing the government May 31, 2016 By Denis Muller Features OPINION: The law that enables the AFP to go after whistleblowers and journalists contains no public-interest defence. That needs to be fixed, but the next government must also prioritise changing the “craven culture” of the AFP.
SBS tweets: who really harmed public broadcaster's reputation? April 30, 2015 By Denis Muller Features Inappropriate ministerial intervention and an excessive response from management may have caused more harm to SBS’s reputation than the offending tweets, in what journalist and former VPS executive Denis Muller sees as SBS’s “own goal”. It’s a lesson for all public entities.
