On 20 October Fran Kelly delivered the 2024 Annual Andrew Olle Lecture, a powerful reflection on the current state of media, journalism, and the challenges posed by misinformation and disinformation.

Every sentence of this lecture is worth reading or listening to.

Image: Justin Stevens, Director of News, ABC

A key theme was the manipulation of perception and truth. Fran referenced magician David Copperfield's famous Statue of Liberty illusion as a metaphor for how easily people's perspectives can be altered. She argued that in the digital age, facts are increasingly challenged, with misinformation and "alternate facts" becoming prevalent, particularly through online platforms.

Where does the overt hate and division come from, she asked. "It comes, at its essence, from perception. From where we sit and how we see things. We take a shared reality and spin it differently. Layer it with our own views, expectations, experiences and emotion and make it our own."

"Perceptions of reality, of truth, can be manipulated …People in power have always known it; that facts can be manipulated, distorted and denied in the quest to hang onto that power or expand it." 

"The world has become an echo chamber of conflicting perceived truths, fuelled by the internet."

And, she said, fact-checkers around the globe cannot keep up.

In response to misinformation, Fran argued that that journalists must recommit to fundamental principles: accuracy, objectivity, and fairness. She emphasised the importance of verification and avoiding false equivalence, where giving equal weight to unequal arguments can inadvertently legitimise harmful narratives.

"As journalists, verified, irrefutable facts are our stock in trade, our only credential is the truth. And as the waters of disinformation swirl, we must seek it, hold it and raise it above the waves."

Fran saw the 2023 Voice referendum as a case study in how misinformation can damage democratic processes. She highlighted the stark geographical and demographic divisions revealed by the referendum, with urban areas predominantly voting Yes and rural and regional areas overwhelmingly voting No. Disinformation spread rapidly online, particularly through social media platforms, creating fear and mistrust.

The referendum showed how ill-equipped our media and our institutions are to deal with misinformation and disinformation. “A hard line, taken early and argued forcefully has much more impact than a nuanced open minded, consider-all-sides campaign.”

Fran also addressed the challenges facing journalism in the digital age. She argued that journalists must adapt to changing audience behaviours, embracing new storytelling methods and platforms while maintaining their core mission of truth-telling. She emphasised the need to rebuild trust by being more accessible, transparent, and responsive to audience needs.

Fran called on media organisations to invest in quality journalism, particularly radio, as a "weapon for truth, breadth and surprise." She praised young journalists continuing to pursue their profession despite the hostile environment and emphasised the importance of qualities like thoughtfulness, intelligence, and genuine listening.

And she made a bold and joyful prediction about the future of radio. It’s not dying, but evolving, she said. Recent surveys show that radio remains the most consumed audio content, with 95% of the population consuming audio weekly. She highlighted radio's unique strengths, particularly during challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic, when it provided reliability, companionship, and real-time connection.

Despite the challenges, journalism is still a privileged business, Fran said. And it’s a passionate one. 

"Passion is the flipside of hate. Just as passion drives division …so too can it drive social cohesion and healing."

"Passion is the buzz that sustains us. It’s the thousand phone calls. The refusal to take no. It’s the thrill of the chase. The spirited debates at news conferences. The racing heart when you realize you’ve got something big, something good, something great. It’s watching the outcome of your work, the accountability it forces. It is the fun, the grunt-work, the frustrations, the camaraderie."

"It is being taken into confidences, being handed hearts to hold, tears to witness, pain or joy to share."

"It is the audience."

"I did breakfast radio for seventeen years and there was not one morning I didn’t feel that passion and the privilege as I turned on my mic at 6am …. not one! And it pumped through me for every minute until I switched off at nine. That’s the truth."