In the wake of the attack on Helen Haines last month, attention quickly turned to the aggressive tone of political discourse in this country.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for people to turn down the temperature. A number of politicians promised to do better. An even larger number of commentators pondered how long this new tone of civility would last.
An insightful contribution came from academic and media personality Waleed Aly. He wrote in The Age:
“Yes, it matters how we speak to one another. But maybe the problem is we’re too obsessed with speaking. It might matter even more how well we listen.”
He went on to say that
“this is not an age of listening. It’s an age of shouting, of performing, of posturing. It’s an age of talking about, not with. By now we’re familiar with the forums that exacerbate this: the online silos, the increasingly shrill, partisan media outlets, for example.”
I couldn’t agree more. Although we need to improve the tone of public debate, that’s only part of it. We also need to make better decisions about what we talk about in the first place.
It’s easy to be distracted by point scoring, blame games, and the theatre of political conflict. It’s harder to talk about complex challenges. And it’s really hard to listen to others with genuine respect and an open mind.
At The Conversation we are focused on journalism that tackles real problems and as a valued supporter I know that you are too. That’s why we work so hard to produce constructive and informed coverage of news and research.
Plucking examples is like picking your favourite child, but there are many projects that we’ve delivered with your help. I’m particularly proud of this multimedia explainer on how supermarkets manipulate us into spending more. This social video about the FlyDubai incident proved that sober explanatory journalism can be a hit on Facebook.
We’re working hard on listening too. Please don’t forget that now you can submit comments for our “Your Say” newsletter section. And if you are still to do so, submitt your responses to our annual survey.
We'd also like to invite you to our news conference later in the month. Further details below.
In the meantime, thanks for all you do. As I write this our Environment Editor Miki Perkins is packing her bags and heading off to cover the climate talks in Turkey. It’s just another thing that would not be possible without your help, so thank you.
With warm wishes
Misha Ketchell, Editor
The Impact Report 2026 – How support has a positive impact.
Every quarter we collect examples of how articles published in The Conversation, and the academics who write them, contribute to better understanding of important issues, highlight solutions to complex problems, and shine a spotlight on inequities that need to be addressed.
AUST | THCO | WEBINAR | The Conversation news conference | Monday 30 November 2026 | 9-10.30am AEDT
At the Monday morning news conference, our editors discuss and plan The Conversation’s news coverage for the next few days. You’re invited to join us for our 30 November conference at 9am and see the team in action. Please stay online for a chance to put your question to our editor, Misha Ketchell.
This event is free, online and will not be recorded so make sure to register to secure your spot.
And apologies to our West Coast supporters for the early start, but feel free to join us in your pyjamas!
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