Linton Besser

A woman calls into the Persian Manoto News program, saying she is the daughter of a senior commander inside Iran. Very disturbing conversation.

@nathwesto we are all drowning in it ...

@lb_online Channelling my inner Besser for the momentary disappointment and eye roll on this one. (I’m a big fan of the show and just love that it exists)! I’m curious how littered our digital landscape is with this kind of nonsense article for the sole purpose of ad revenue.

A tourism reporter has been showcasing the whale watching industry on Seven News, but who’s paying for the splash? #MediaWatch

The Field Marshal was a board member of my company @RivadaNetworks for about 17 years. There was one particular board meeting he attended where he had just got back from a visit to special forces in Afghanistan in his regimental colonel role. Whilst on his visit an emergency raid was called, the Americans had located a very big wig target in a compound and the unit Charles was visiting got the mission. The troops asked ‘Sir’ if he would like to join the raid, and of course he did so eagerly. Kit on, into the chopper. Job got done. He was in his seventies! One thing he hated was parachuting. 798 jumps. He said he was absolutely terrified on every one but had to pretend he loved it so as not to worry his men. My favourite of his extra curricular missions during his time on our board was one involving the pinching of General De Gaulle’s flag from a place it had been (in Charle’s view) unfairly held in London and returning it to the President of France in Élysée Palace. It deserves its own movie, it would be brilliant.

@MaclellanNic Hi Nic, can you please follow back so I can DM you?

@mumbletwits @ABCmediawatch But weren’t the journalists being told - in a sense - to quit the field?

@ABCmediawatch Term "marching orders" misused. Please don't do it again.

To shrug and say, ‘Well, it’s just the way things are’ is to walk ever further down a path that cedes ever more authority and risks betraying an already frayed compact with readers. #MediaWatch

Disappointing but unsurprising in an increasingly secretive Australia. Think many increasingly view FOI as a waste of time… Of course, the opacity continues elsewhere 🧵 abc.net.au/news/2025-09-0…

Strata industry peak body in NSW announces support for the scrapping of insurance commissions in the wake of @4corners @abcnews Strata Trap investigation of last year: abc.net.au/news/2024-09-0…

Trump on FBI raiding Bolton's house: "I could know about it. I could be the one starting it. I'm actually the chief law enforcement officer."

The FBI is searching the house of John Bolton just days after he angered Trump by criticizing his handling of Russia. Trump during his campaign vowed "retribution" against his critics and Kash Patel included Bolton on his list of "deep state" figures. nytimes.com/live/2025/08/2…

This is most excellent from Gittins

The most corrupt White House in history: This is an account of what people are paying, directly to a PAC called MAGA Inc, in order to meet the president, get pardons, change policy nytimes.com/2025/08/02/us/…

"Why was the flight delayed for an hour?" "The pilot saw a problem with one of the engines, but it's okay now." "Wow, you've replaced an engine in an hour?" "No, we've replaced the pilot" (An old Soviet joke... Congrats, America)

@MEnes_Arslan Hullo Enes, can you please follow me back so I can send you a direct message?

In our new investigation into Russia's use of children for their military drone program, crucial evidence came from @tashurkevich's undercover phone calls. Here are some of the most striking confessions she extracted.

I pay tribute to the life and legacy of a wonderful Australian, Peter Ryan. This is a devastating loss for Australian journalism and economics. So many of the decisions taken around boardroom tables and cabinet tables were shaped and influenced by Peter’s authoritative voice first thing each morning. He had an unrivalled talent for drawing out the vital elements of each day’s economic news, a remarkable ability to separate the consequential from the trivial. On busy days when you didn’t have time to pore over pages and pages of economic analysis, you knew that a few minutes of Peter would be decent start. We will miss him, we mourn him, and our hearts go out to his loved ones and many admirers.

Sri Lanka’s multimillion-dollar loan to buy dairy cows from Australia in a failed bid to boost local milk production was borrowed from a Dutch bank now at the centre of a money laundering investigation. #SriLanka #Australia #TheNetherlands sundaytimes.lk/250615/news/ho…

After 16 years, The Project winds up at the end of the month. 11 Logies, one Walkley, 4,500+ episodes. Many laughs. Good luck to all my colleagues who have made the show what it was (and is, until June 27) 🙏🏻

Hundreds of pages of secret documents leaked to the ABC provide a rare glimpse into how human censors and AI erase references to the Beijing's violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989. ab.co/45BFQ7W

@hughriminton @ABCmediawatch Thank you Hugh. The truth of it, however, is that I am merely standing on the shoulders of some very brilliant people who work very hard @_LaurenDarragh @davidestcourt @SallyVirgoeMW Gabrielle Clark Lorna Knowles Andrew Mills and the inestimable @mariochristo

Paul Barry is a hard act to follow. ⁦@lb_online⁩ (Linton Besser) is, if anything, lifting the product. Excellent, serious analysis of major media lapses. I await my turn. ⁦@ABCmediawatch⁩