Ali Benton

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Articles

LGBTQI rights in Australian schools

1 week ago | abc.net.au | David Marr |Ali Benton

In 2024, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced he was shelving the religious discrimination bill, for fear of stoking societal tensions. The move left religious groups and equality advocates disappointed. So where is that bill now? And why have the major parties stayed quiet on the issue?
Peter Rose departs the Australian Book Review after 24 years

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | David Marr |Ali Benton

After 24 years, the Australian Book Review's CEO and editor, Peter Rose, is stepping down. By the time he leaves, Peter will have edited close to 250 issues, worked with more than 1500 writers and helped shape the national conversation. • GUEST: Peter Rose, Outgoing editor and CEO of the Australian Book Review
ABR's Peter Rose - the Exit Interview

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | David Marr |Ali Benton

After 24 years, the Australian Book Review's CEO and editor, Peter Rose, is stepping down. By the time he leaves, Peter will have edited close to 250 issues, worked with more than 1500 writers and helped shape the national conversation. • GUEST: Peter Rose, Outgoing editor and CEO of the Australian Book Review
Is it ethical to publish a writer’s personal diary after they’ve died? - ABC listen

1 month ago | abc.net.au | David Marr |Ali Benton

Three years since the great American writer Joan Didion died, her publishers are putting a new work on the market. It’s called Notes to John, a diary of her time in therapy with her husband. Her fans will soon be queuing to buy, but the ethics of publishing such private material are being questioned. • GUEST: Andrew Biswell – the biographer of Anthony Burgess and now Professor of Modern Literature at Manchester University
Radio propaganda wars in the Middle East

1 month ago | abc.net.au | David Marr |Ali Benton

Before the 1967 war, radio ruled the Middle East—TV was a rare luxury. For the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Israel, the airwaves buzzed with news, and more often than not, propaganda. Alongside the giants like the BBC, hundreds of smaller stations across the region churned out their own political messages. GUEST: Margaret Peacock, Professor of History, University of Alabama and author of Frequencies of Deceit: How Global Propaganda Wars Shaped the Middle EastPRODUCER: Ali Benton
Poland's queer history

1 month ago | abc.net.au | David Marr |Ali Benton

Poland has unveiled its first queer museum, which chronicles the history of the LGBTQ+ community from the 16th century to the present. The museum showcases nearly 150 artefacts, including letters, photographs and a pair of high heels from the country's oldest drag queen, Lulla La Polaca
A history of trolling before the Internet

1 month ago | abc.net.au | David Marr |Ali Benton

Some of history's greatest trolls existed well before the Internet. Oscar Wilde, Lord Byron and even Shakespeare all loved provoking outrage. The desire to hurt or distract another with words goes back a very long way - and says a lot about the state of a culture. • None GUEST: David Rudrum, Author of Trolling before the Internet, An Offline History of Insult, Provocation, and Public Humiliation in the Literary Classics
Caribbean countries lining up to dump the monarchy - ABC listen

1 month ago | abc.net.au | David Marr |Ali Benton

A number of Caribbean nations are voicing their desire to throw off the shackles of colonial rule. In December last year, Jamaica tabled a bill to become a republic and cut ties with the British Monarchy. The country's Prime Minister, Andrew Holness has promised a referendum by the end of 2025, but it doesn’t look like that is going to happen any time soon
Who really discovered gold in Australia?

1 month ago | abc.net.au | David Marr |Ali Benton

History says that the first person to discover gold in Australia was Edward Hammond Hargraves. The truth, however, is a little murkier. In his new book, GOLD, historian Matt Murphy reveals that Hargraves was a charlatan and imposter who betrayed his fellow prospectors.
America's diversity, equity and inclusion wars

1 month ago | abc.net.au | David Marr |Ali Benton

Less than two months after returning to the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump has abolished all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in federal agencies. The move dismantles decades of federal anti-discrimination policy in America. Advocates of these programs are now questioning where to go from here.