I Tried To Choose 100 Moments Of The Decade In Australian Media. Here Are... 154.

2009 me did not see any of this coming.

Look, there's a lot to get through here. Let's just dive straight in.

Scroll with me down memory lane as we cast an eye over the last decade in Australian media.

2010

1. "Who is that handsome...?"

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The decade got off to a strong start with this iconic moment from SBS newsreader Lee Lin Chin, on Jan. 23, 2010.

2. "A meal? A succulent Chinese meal?!"

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Honestly, I can't verify when this video (which was filmed well before 2010) first went viral — but there's a strong chance it was this decade. Also, I just wanted you to see it.

Its provenance is mysterious: some say it is Hungarian chess champion and repeat "dine and dash" offender Paul Charles Dozsa, but others argue it was not him at all.

3. Julian Assange's WikiLeaks published classified documents about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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The Australian founder of WikiLeaks published thousands of classified documents leaked by Chelsea Manning in 2010, as well as the video Collateral Murder, which showed the US shooting deaths of two Reuters journalists in Baghdad.

4. The barking dog man.

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This man came onto our screens, and into our hearts, in April 2010.

5. Pendulum's ABC News theme remix.

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The drop at 0:37 *sweats*. This banger was #11 in 2010's Hottest 100.

6. Latika Bourke's hat.

Nine

Back in 2010, journalist Latika Bourke was a rising star in the press gallery. Two weeks before Kevin Rudd's prime ministership ended, she bowled up to a press conference with Rudd, dressed in a white shirt, grey tie and grey fedora. When she asked why his leadership was in crisis, he answered by talking about her outfit. "Well, that's a point of language which you have used which is dramatically consistent with the dress which you have chosen today," he said, adding, "it's a great tie, it's a nice hat, I like it a lot."

Rudd was accused of sexism, which his spokesperson denied. "The prime minister said the journalist was wearing a great tie and a nice hat because he liked the tie and he liked the hat," the spokesperson told the Daily Mail.

Here's a fun bit of trivia: if you see a Twitter user with a fedora photoshopped onto their avatar, it could well be a symbol of solidarity with Bourke.

Possum Comitatus @Pollytics

@themetresgained Nope. When Rudd had a go at Latika for wearing a Fedora, some of us photoshopped fedoras on our avatars. Never took it off

01:36 AM - 22 May 2014

7. "Thanks fuckwit!"

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8. The 2010 leaks against Julia Gillard.

Joe Castro / AAPIMAGE

It was July 2010, Julia Gillard had been prime minister for a month, and she was fighting for re-election. Then Laurie Oakes (pictured) published a bombshell report: Gillard had opposed Labor's paid parental leave scheme — now a signature achievement — in cabinet.

Oakes had earlier published a story suggesting that the night before Gillard successfully challenged Kevin Rudd for the Labor leadership, Rudd had offered to voluntarily step down from the leadership if the polls were going badly closer to the election. Both stories were based on accounts of unnamed sources.

Labor ended up failing to win a majority and had to rule in a precarious minority government for the next three years.

9. The wrong Australia's Next Top Model was announced.

Foxtel / PR IMAGE

Long before Faye Dunaway mistakenly announced that La La Land won the Oscar for Best Picture, Sarah Murdoch (R) declared that Kelsey Martinovich (L) was Australia's next top model. Actually, Amanda Ware had won. Murdoch interrupted Martinovich as she made her acceptance speech to say, "I'm feeling sick about this. I'm so sorry, this was a complete accident."

10. A man threw a shoe at John Howard on Q&A.

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There was a time when leaders everywhere were getting shoes thrown at them. In 2008, it was George W. Bush. Chinese premier Wen Jiabao copped a shoe in February 2009, and Tony Blair was targeted twice that same year. On Oct. 25, 2010 it was John Howard's turn. As the former prime minister appeared live on the ABC's Q&A and defended Australia's participation in the Iraq War, activist Peter Gray hurled two shoes at him. "That's for the Iraqi dead," he shouted.

Gray died of bowel cancer at 30 in 2011. With Howard's endorsement, Gray's shoes were later sold at auction and raised $3,650 for the International Committee for the Red Cross.

2011

11. Tony Abbott lost the power of speech after saying "shit happens" when a soldier died.

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Early in 2011, video emerged of then opposition leader Tony Abbott saying "shit happens" over the death of an Australian soldier in Afghanistan. When Seven reporter Mark Riley confronted Abbott over the comment, he had... nothing.

12. This newsreader told her colleague he had a small penis.

Simon Anderson @simonjourno

@HannahD15 Channel Ten newsreader's small penis sledge to sports host off the back of a story about the Ashes https://t.co/83e3lbRj9s

04:49 AM - 21 Nov 2019

"And Belinda, I just can't understand how something so small can be so impressive."

"Well Mark, you would know about that. Thank you very much, weather's next with Jane Riley."

🔥🚨🚒🤯

13. The 7.30 Report became 7.30.

Abc Tv / PR IMAGE

The show that everyone still calls the 7.30 Report launched its very unsuccessful rebrand at the start of 2011. At the end of 2010, Kerry O'Brien (above, interviewing Barack Obama in 2010) stepped down, and Leigh Sales and Chris Uhlmann took over as hosts the following year.

14. Today Tonight and A Current Affair fought for exclusive interviews with teenagers.

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Ahhh, remember the A Current Affair vs. Today Tonight wars? This petty episode started with a 16-year-old bullying victim, Casey Heynes, who fought back against the younger Ritchard Gale in a viral video. A Current Affair scored an interview with Heynes. Then Today Tonight got an interview with Gale, and broadcast a bit of ACA's Heynes interview without watermarks. In an extremely silly bit of revenge, A Current Affair proceeded to broadcast the entire interview with Gale on their show seven minutes later without credit, blurring out the Today Tonight watermark and replacing it with Nine's logo. Nine ended up paying $140,000 to settle a legal case brought by Seven.

15. Karl Stefanovic told the Dalai Lama a joke.

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16. "Dickhead."

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"Good morning sir, how are you?"

"Dickhead."

17. Amy Parks at AAMI Park.

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Iconic.

18. The Andrew Bolt 18C episode.

Julian Smith / AAPIMAGE

In September 2011, a court ruled that columnist Andrew Bolt (pictured) had breached the Racial Discrimination Act with articles and blog posts that implied light-skinned Aboriginal people identified that way to get money and other benefits. The judge found the articles – including one called "It's so hip to be black" – weren't written in good faith.

Bolt called it a "terrible day for free speech in this country" and we all went on to have a long-running culture war about free speech and racial discrimination, symbolised by the law Bolt breached — section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.

19. The national broadcaster depicted the prime minister having sex.

ABC

People don't really talk about this anymore but in September 2011 the ABC broadcast an episode of the satirical show At Home With Julia that depicted then prime minister Julia Gillard having sex with her partner Tim Mathieson under an Australian flag on the floor of the prime minister's office. Weird, right? Responding to criticism, an ABC spokesperson said it was a "very gentle, tender scene". OK then!

"If it's OK for others to drape themselves in our flag for all manner of occasions, I really don't see why it can't be draped over our prime minister as a symbol of love," the spokesperson said. I'd like to see them try to do the same for Scott Morrison (I would not like that at all).

2012

20. "Just waiting for a mate."

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This broadcast just a few short months after the nek minute video —  on Seven's Highway Patrol.

Aren't we all, in some small way, "waiting for a mate"?

21. Chris Uhlmann's maybe-drunk tweets.

The Australian

Spoiler alert: this is not Uhlmann's final appearance in this list!

In March 2012, he hopped on Twitter in a way the Australian said made him look "more than a bit tired and emotional". The tweets are lost in time, like tears in rain, but the Oz wrote that they "included the topics of animal love, opening bottles of wine in the dark and the ABC's ability to pay its power bills". Uhlmann was still presenting 7.30 at this point.

He later told the Oz he had consumed two or three glasses of wine, but it would be a "big call" to say he was drunk. "It was a moment of whimsy. The power was out and I was reflecting on the moment."

22. Julian Assange entered the Ecuadorian embassy.

Lloyd Jones / AAPIMAGE

You could probably do a whole list of Julian Assange moments because the man has had a pretty big decade, despite spending most of it confined to the Ecuadorian embassy in London. He first showed up there in June 2012, and wouldn't leave until April 2019 when Ecuador withdrew his asylum and let British police arrest him. He has been found guilty of skipping bail and sentenced to 50 weeks imprisonment. Careful readers of this list will *get* the meme that circulated on Australian Twitter when he was kicked out of the embassy...

Jordan Raskringle @JordanRasko

- Mr Assange you’re under arrest - what’s the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal. This is democracy manifest. GET YOUR HAND OFF MY PENIS!

12:23 PM - 11 Apr 2019

Reid Parker @ReidParker_

Is it a crime to eat a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?!

11:43 AM - 11 Apr 2019

23. Gina Rinehart tried to take over Fairfax.

Tony Mcdonough / AAPIMAGE

Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart became Fairfax Media's biggest shareholder, with 18.7% of stock, and then tried to get three seats on the board, including the deputy chair spot. She reportedly wanted a say in editorial content and staffing decisions. After her board push was rejected, she sold out of the company.

24. Simon Sheikh fainted on Q&A and Sophie Mirabella's reaction got a lot of attention.

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25. 🎶 Whyalla Wipeout 🎶

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Someone pass me a Xanax.

Craig Emerson @DrCraigEmerson

.@DobroBloke My poor musical timing in Whyalla Wipeout was carefully calibrated to maximise impact. That's my story & I'm sticking to it.

12:18 AM - 30 Jun 2013

26. "Women are destroying the joint."

Warren Clarke / AAPIMAGE

Radio shock jock Alan Jones: "She [prime minister Julia Gillard] said that we know societies only reach their full potential if women are politically participating. Women are destroying the joint — Christine Nixon in Melbourne, Clover Moore here. Honestly."

The comments sparked outrage and led to an activist movement called Destroy The Joint that's still going seven years later.

(More Alan Jones moments to come!)

27. Drawing dicks on the Herald Sun.

Herald Sun / Via Heavy.com

It's what it says on the tin. Sadly, Facebook shut down the extremely popular group, which started in 2012, and it had to migrate to Tumblr, where it lives on.

28. The chaff bag / "died of shame" incidents.

Warren Clarke / AAPIMAGE

And he's baaaaaack! Technically, the chaff bag thing and "died of shame" things were two separate scandals but they all snowballed into one huge controversy about Alan Jones' weird way of talking about women, and in particular, our first female prime minister.

Jones started off in June 2011 by saying Julia Gillard should be put in a chaff bag and "thrown out to sea", and then repeating it several times afterwards. (All of this sparked a secondary debate about whether the "a" in "chaff" was pronounced how it looks, or more like charrrff.)

Then in September the next year he spoke at a Sydney University Liberal Club function. Charmingly, the club auctioned off a chaff bag jacket that evening, and Jones made a speech in which he said, referring to Gillard's father: "The old man recently died a few weeks ago of shame. To think that he has a daughter who told lies every time she stood for parliament."

Which leads me to....

29. The misogyny speech.

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"I will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man. I will not. And the government will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man. Not now, not ever."

Remember how the press gallery thought this speech was bad, and not a historical moment in Australian political history? Michelle Grattan said it "sounded more desperate than convincing". Peter Hartcher accused Gillard of not defending respect for women. That negative reaction was because of the context — Gillard was defending the house speaker Peter Slipper despite accusations he'd made degrading comments about women — but that's largely forgotten now. What we remember is the unusual and passionate speech, made without notes by a woman who was angry but dignified, and who had women the world over cheering.

30. A column ostensibly about the Melbourne Cup compared women to horses. Favourably.

Sydney Morning Herald

Another journo who didn't like Gillard's speech was Fairfax's Paul Sheehan, who accused Gillard of playing the gender card, of "snarling" and using "misdirection and personal abuse" — against Tony Abbott no less, the man whose chief of staff Peta Credlin was "famously one of the most formidable women in politics", whose "mostly female staff" was "devoted to their boss" and who had raised three daughters.

Anyway, onto a completely separate topic, Sheehan penned another column the next month to coincide with Melbourne Cup, titled "Thoroughbreds v roughies: why women trump men". It was over 700 words dedicated to a female race commentator, who was a "thoroughbred" among "three roughies". He wrote about her beauty, intelligence, lucidity, courage and loyalty — and her ability to procreate. It's quite something.

31. After years of coverage by the Newcastle Herald, Julia Gillard announced a royal commission into child sexual abuse.

Stephanie Flack / AAPIMAGE

One of Australia's best journalists works at a regional newspaper and has for years. In November 2012, Gillard (above, announcing the commissioner and details of the inquiry in 2013) declared a historic royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse. The five-year inquiry is now widely considered one of the landmark achievements of her government.

Since 2006, Newcastle Herald reporter Joanne McCarthy had been covering abuse of children by Catholic clergy in the Hunter Valley. Her coverage helped spark the royal commission.

32. A nurse killed herself after a radio prank.

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In December 2012, 2Day FM's Hot30 hosts Michael Christian and Mel Greig (above, speaking to A Current Affair about the incident) placed a prank call to the London hospital treating Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, for severe morning sickness. With Greig pretending to be the Queen and Christian playing Prince Charles, they asked to be put through to Catherine. The nurse who picked up the phone, Jacintha Saldanha, put the call through to Catherine's nurse, who disclosed some details of her condition.

A few days after the call went to air Saldanha killed herself. A coroner later found that the hoax was "clearly pressing on her mind" when she did so.

If you need to talk to someone, you can call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue Australia on 1300 22 4636.

33. blocked plonker

Russell Crowe @russellcrowe

@BuzzFeedAndrew blocked plonker

06:26 AM - 08 Dec 2012

I did not remember that this iconic tweet from Academy Award winning actor Russell Crowe was directed at a BUZZFEED REPORTER. The more you know.

Let's just take a moment to remember when Russell Crowe used to tweet his workouts.

Russell Crowe @russellcrowe

1 km walk, 10.5 km stat bike, 3x Shoulder routine,10 reps x 11 ex,lats,bench,4 x 1m prone hold, 5 km bike ride

06:25 AM - 08 Dec 2012

Please don't block me Rusty.

2013

34. Fairfax newspapers went tabloid.

Peter Rae Pmr / PR IMAGE

OK, OK, OK, the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age went "compact" in March 2013. When Fairfax announced the change the previous month, they put out this fun PR image showing just how good it would be to not be reading a broadsheet newspaper.

35. This big black chicken.

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Just watch the video.

36. Karl ate a hot pie.

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Skip to four minutes in. Look, in the scheme of things, this isn't a super historical moment but it is fun and perfectly encapsulates Karl Stefanovic's loveable/boyish persona, before he fell out of favour in 2018 (and was then resurrected).

37. Eddie McGuire likened Adam Goodes to King Kong.

Dave Crosling / AAPIMAGE

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire (above, addressing the incident at a press conference) said legendary footballer Adam Goodes should be used in the promotion for the King Kong musical, in comments on Triple M. A few days earlier, Goodes had been called an "ape" by a teenage girl. McGuire apologised for his remark but faced no disciplinary consequences from Triple M.

38. Miranda Devine went undercover to Lakemba Mosque.

Adelaide Advertiser

"I am going undercover to Friday prayers at the Lakemba Mosque. But first I need to get kitted out in modest attire."

39. KICK THIS MOB OUT

Daily Telegraph

Perfectly normal way to cover an election announcement.

40. Chris Kenny sued over being called a dog-fucker.

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News Limited and Sky News journalist Chris Kenny was not happy when the Chaser depicted him having sex with a dog on The Hamster Decides. The joke was that Kenny was an ABC critic and had said its funding should be reduced. Andrew Hansen said: "They’ve just got to cut ABC funding. This is a network that broadcasts images of Chris Kenny strangling a dog while having sex with it." Then they showed an image of Kenny's head photoshopped onto a body of a man with his pants down in an awkward position with a labradoodle and a sign that said "Chris 'Dog Fucker' Kenny".

Kenny was so displeased with the skit and the ABC's failure to apologise that he sued for defamation, arguing that among other things the skit suggested he had sex with dogs. The ABC ended up settling, offering Kenny an apology and compensation.

"To the extent that I am remembered for this, I’ll be remembered as the journalist called a dog fucker who stood up for his rights," he told the Guardian.

Also, his son wrote a column defending the skit.

Junkee

The whole dog-fucking episode gave us this iconic moment in media history: Chris Kenny's son Liam tearing him to shreds on youth website Junkee. "Kenny is a staunchly neo-conservative, anti-progress, anti-worker defender of the status quo. He is an unrelenting apologist for the Liberal Party. He was one of Alexander Downer’s senior advisers at the time of the Iraq War. ... And it’s a jokey picture of a bestial embrace that I should be afraid of discovering online?"

2014

41. The end of Today Tonight.

Andrew Brownbill / AAPIMAGE

Today Tonight only truly wrapped up in November 2019 but the beginning of the end was in February 2014, when its East Coast editions were axed. By this time, iconic host Naomi Robson (pictured) was long gone, but memories of her khaki outfit and lizard on her shoulder while reporting on Steve Irwin's death would live forever.

42. Schapelle's release from jail.

Bay Ismoyo / Getty Images

Schapelle Corby was finally released from an Indonesian prison in February 2014, and it was a bloody media circus!

43. Rosie Batty's public appearance shortly after her son was murdered by her ex-husband.

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Rosie Batty changed the way Australia thinks about family violence. Her moving statement to journalists (starting at 1:39 in the video above) in the wake of her son Luke's murder was a key part of that. "Family violence happens to everybody, no matter how nice your house is, no matter how intelligent you are," she said. "It happens to anyone and everyone."

44. A freelance writer tweeted her way through Mia Freedman's book...

Twitter: @marrowing

And Mia Freedman was upset.

45. WORLD IS FUKT.

AFR / Via Twitter: @CapitalQCA

According to the Australian Financial Review, the world was fukt even way back in 2014. Prescient stuff!

46. The watermark over James Packer's fisticuffs.

Herald Sun @theheraldsun

EXCLUSIVE: FIRST PICS of James Packer's epic street brawl http://t.co/GOCb6HpCnw

05:06 AM - 05 May 2014

The brawl was epic... the News Corp watermark even more so.

47. Relatedly: WHY I'VE GOT A PACKER UP MY CLACKER.

elucidate @elucydate

@HannahD15 The @TheNTNews headline: Why I’ve Got A Packer Up My Clacker

04:51 AM - 21 Nov 2019

48. The cigar photo.

The Sydney Morning Herald @smh

Joe Hockey and Mathias Cormann pictured smoking cigars ahead of tough budget http://t.co/0sE7mAyhWs #auspol

10:34 AM - 09 May 2014

Beyond parody.

49. Tony Abbott winked.

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All the life just went out of me.

50. Alan Jones and Malcolm Turnbull had a run-in.

ALAN JONES: Thank you for your time. Can I begin by asking you if you could say after me this? "As a senior member of the Abbott government I want to say here I am totally supportive of the Abbott-Hockey strategy for budget repair."

MALCOLM TURNBULL: Alan, I am not going to take dictation from you. I am a cabinet minister. I support unreservedly and wholeheartedly every element in the budget. Every single one.

...

ALAN JONES: You’re sounding very nervous, Malcolm. Why are you nervous?

MALCOLM TURNBULL: I’m not nervous.

ALAN JONES: You’re angry Malcolm.

MALCOLM: Alan…

The interview ran for 25 minutes.

51. Ricky Muir's trainwreck interview.

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Ricky Muir — Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party senator who was famously filmed in a kangaroo poo fight — was interviewed by Mike Willesee and uhhh it didn't go well. Some people have nightmares about being caught with no clothes on. I have nightmares about being Ricky Muir in a television interview.

52. The Daily Mail Australia editor was accused of stealing The Australian's media reporter's iPad and pouring beer on him.

The Australian

53. Metadata. What's that?

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54. They put Comic Sans on the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald.

Michael de Waal @mich_rdw

@HannahD15 Comic Sans on front page of the SMH. Sept 2014.

04:01 AM - 21 Nov 2019

55. Mistaken identity on the front page of Fairfax newspapers.

Fairfax

19-year-old Abu Bakar Alam woke up one morning to see his photo on the front page of newspapers next to the headline "TEENAGE TERRORIST". But it was actually Numan Haider – a completely different person – who attacked police with a knife and was then shot dead. Alam received a front page apology and an undisclosed settlement.

Then Fairfax did a similar thing in 2018.

56. Sharri Markson went undercover as a first-year media student.

The Australian

In an iconic piece of journalism, The Australian's media reporter Sharri Markson revealed that university students were being taught to be critical of News Corp publications and encouraged not to include false balance in coverage of climate change.

57. Newsreaders faced off against Lee Lin Chin in an underground carpark.

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I still can't believe this happened.

58. Bill Shorten was spotted with a "mullet".

@saltmarsh / Via Twitter: @saltmarsh

Actually, the mullet was MP Amanda Rishworth's hair, but no matter. Of course, it became a meme.

andy cam @andycam_

Mullet Bill Shorten is the hottest new meme of 2014

04:21 AM - 04 Dec 2014

Denham Sadler @denhamsadler

Looks like Bill Shorten's mullet is unleashing its wrath on Sydney.

06:25 AM - 05 Dec 2014

Half Cab Sav @hamonryen

Bill Shorten will win the youth vote on a platform of growing a mullet and releasing his band's next album on tape.

02:18 AM - 10 Apr 2018

59. The Age got Waleed Aly and Nazeem Hussain confused.

Nazeem Hussain @nazeem_hussain

Well, we are kinda the same person...

07:55 PM - 17 Dec 2014

Oops.

2015

60. Triple J banned Taylor Swift from the Hottest 100.

lemon stealin' yee haw @adam_lewis

Just saw a girl in a handmade "Say no to #Tay4Hottest100" singlet on Park St. @MarkDiStef this is getting too real.

08:00 AM - 16 Jan 2015

BuzzFeed's own Mark Di Stefano led the #Tay4Hottest100 campaign to get Shake It Off into the countdown. It took off — in a big way — but then Triple J put its foot down. Taylor Swift was NOT eligible. Think-pieces were born.

(We did a lot of coverage.)

BuzzFeed Australia @BuzzFeedOz

You should actually be voting for @taylorswift13 in the @triplej Hottest 100 http://t.co/Ndfk5tsPMK #Tay4Hottest100

08:31 PM - 13 Jan 2015

Why Isn't Everyone Voting For "Shake It Off" In The Hottest 100?

5 Hottest 100 Winners Way Worse Than "Shake It Off"

Triple J Disqualify Taylor Swift From Hottest 100

Triple J's announcement was a very hilarious satire of BuzzFeed too.

triple j @triplej

8 Hilarious But Totally True Reasons You Won’t Hear “Shake It Off” In The #Hottest100 #TkayForHottest100 http://t.co/CIVyF23fRh

01:05 AM - 26 Jan 2015

We don't just do lists ok!!!!

BuzzFeed Australia @BuzzFeedOz

Dear @triplej your #Tay4Hottest100 website seems to be down. May we offer to re-publish the "reasons" on our helpful website?

01:32 AM - 26 Jan 2015

61. Gina Rinehart went to court to stop a TV show about her family.

Andy Tyndall / AAPIMAGE

Gina Rinehart rushed to court in February 2014 to halt episode two of Channel Nine's House of Hancock miniseries, which depicted the lives of Rinehart, her father Lang Hancock and his wife Rose Porteous (pictured in 2002 after being cleared by an inquest of any involvement in his death). She secured an advanced viewing and a number of last-minute edits. Then she sued Nine and the production company for defamation, which settled in mid-2016.

62. Samantha Armytage appeared to congratulate a mixed-race twin for being paler-skinned than her identical sister.

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"Lucy got her dad's fair skin — good on her — along with straight red hair and blue eyes." She later apologised, saying she did not intend the comment as racist.

63. The penis jacket!

Metro @MetroUK

Newsreader's 'penis-neck' jacket caused social media to explode http://t.co/w0XRBPaS97

03:24 PM - 16 Mar 2015

It's actually a lovely jacket. Fairfax later revealed that Natarsha Belling was not the first to wear the jacket, which was a Scanlan Theodore peplum number.

64. The saga of Rebel Wilson's age.

Marnie Banger / AAPIMAGE

None could have foretold that the first Woman's Day article questioning Rebel Wilson's real age, published in May 2015, would end up in the High Court. The magazine published a series of stories suggesting Wilson (pictured above outside the High Court) had lied about her age, name and upbringing. Wilson sued Bauer Media, the magazine's publisher, and ended up getting the largest defamation payout in Australian history ($4.5 million), which was slashed to $600,000 on appeal.

65. Sam Dastyari's appearance in The Killing Season.

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Sarah Ferguson's 2015 series allowed us all to relive the highs and lows of Labor's infighting between 2010 and 2013. But it also gave us then senator Sam Dastyari's enthusiastic re-enactment of his role in the mess. It became A Thing.

66. The whole Zaky Mallah-on-Q&A thing.

Dan Peled / AAPIMAGE

67. A Melbourne radio guy suggested Amy Schumer was a "skank" 🤨.

KIIS FM

Ironically it was during an interview to promo her film TRAINWRECK.

68. DJs like a mad cunt guy...unearthed.

not tones & i @jocelynseip

im doing my assignment on this

05:34 AM - 03 Aug 2015

BuzzFeed's Mark Di Stefano located Matt Adams, who created one of Auspol's most enduring images.

69. Mark Latham was just out there tweeting Mark Latham stuff.

Real Mark Latham @RealMarkLatham

Hey Buzzfed Sherlock, I'm actually the Bucks Night Porno Man, rooting a two-headed donkey while sending out this Tweeter crap.

08:15 PM - 16 Aug 2015

But weirdly nobody really thought the account, literally called Real Mark Latham, was him... until BuzzFeed confirmed it.

70. Michael Leunig got in trouble for publishing an anti-vaxxer cartoon.

The Age

For many, it was the first sign that something was up with Leunig – but it wasn't the last.

71. "Time doesn't mean anything when you're about to have water lapping at your door."

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Don't you hate it when the boom mic picks up your private joke about climate change swallowing your island neighbours whole? Interesting that ScoMo, the only one to notice the microphone, would be the last PM standing...

72. #IsItOn #LibSpill #ALPSpill

Tim-sel 🎄 @TimothyJ_23

@HannahD15 2010 ALP Leadership Spill 2013 ALP Leadership Spill(s?) 2015 LNP Leadership Spill 2018 LNP Leadership Spills (still 40 days left in the decade for one more spill, too)

06:53 AM - 21 Nov 2019

It's always safe to assume that it is, in fact, on.

73. "Cunt-struck".

Jane Dempster / AAPIMAGE

Michael Lawler on his partner Kathy Jackson (pictured above outside the trade union royal commission): "I'll be characterised as that scumbag, crook, fraudster and, at the very best, somebody who's been bewitched by an evil harridan, namely Kathy; that I'm cunt-struck and that I have been utterly, taken in by somebody who is a serious crook." And he said this on Four Corners, no less.

Antony Green @AntonyGreenABC

After Four Corners last night, I'm being extra careful typing count.

11:51 PM - 19 Oct 2015

74. Joe Aston's "pitiful, forlorn" erection.

Jane Cattermole @janecat60

@HannahD15 Joe Aston’s column which described his erection https://t.co/xaiEIUJMkz

04:44 AM - 21 Nov 2019

Read the whole thing here, if that's what you're into.

75. Scott Morrison cooked Sri Lankan curry for Annabel Crabb.

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Isn't it cute that his staff calls his samosas "ScoMosas"? A lot of people didn't think so, pointing to Morrison's legacy as immigration minister, when he initiated boat turnbacks and kept asylum seekers (including Sri Lankans) in harsh condition in offshore detention. The Kitchen Cabinet episode ignited a debate in which Crabb was called out for "junk food journalism".

2016

76. "Mad fucking witch".

Mick Tsikas / AAPIMAGE

TFW you accidentally text the message about the person ("mad fucking witch") to the person (journalist Sam Maiden).

Ben Jenkins @bencjenkins

08:52 PM - 03 Jan 2016

77. "Don't blush baby."

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Chris Gayle later said he had named his daughter Blush, in a reference to this highly inappropriate interview with Ten's Mel McLaughlin.

78. Stan Grant's Australian dream speech.

youtube.com

"My grandfather on my mother's side, who married a white woman, who reached out to Australia, lived on the fringes of town until the police came, put a gun to his head, bulldozed his tin humpy, and ran over the graves of the three children he buried there. That's the Australian dream," Indigenous journalist Stan Grant said, in this viral speech on racism.

79. The Safe Schools saga.

Benjamin Law 羅旭能 @mrbenjaminlaw

@australian P.S. I copped it for one week. LGBTIQ kids cop abuse every day. In over 90,000 words on Safe Schools, the @australian spoke to none of them.

01:55 PM - 24 Sep 2017

This unhappy chapter in media history started in The Australian in early 2016. The newspaper would go on to publish 90,000 words on the education program focused on LGBTIQ inclusion over the next years. As freelance writer Benjamin Law pointed out, the newspaper never interviewed an LGBT child. The federal government didn't renew its funding, the program's founder Roz Ward was suspended from her job, and most Australian jurisdictions stopped the Safe Schools program.

80. Paul Sheehan's "Louise" story.

Dean Lewins / AAPIMAGE

Veteran columnist Paul Sheehan's last file for the Sydney Morning Herald was an apology published on Feb. 25, 2016, titled: "The story of Louise: why the police have no case to answer, but I do". A week earlier, the SMH had published his story about "Louise", who said she had been gang-raped by Middle Eastern men, left for dead, and then ignored by police. But the story had little corroborating evidence. The paper ending up retracting the piece and apologising. Sheehan was later suspended and then given a redundancy package.

81. Niki Savva reported on rumours of an affair between Tony Abbott and his chief of staff Peta Credlin.

Mick Tsikas / AAPIMAGE

The shit truly hit the fan in March 2016 when veteran journalist Niki Savva took a long-circulating rumour of an affair between Tony Abbott and Peta Credlin (pictured in 2015) and put it into the spotlight in her book The Road to Ruin. On March 6, The Australian published an extract from the book detailing a warning Abbott received from a colleague that the perception he was having an affair with Credlin was damaging his position as prime minister, and an incident where Credlin fed Abbott from her own fork in a restaurant. Credlin denied rumours of an affair, calling the book "unsourced gossip". Savva was criticised for failing to approach Abbott or Credlin for comment for the book.

82. A 60 Minutes crew was thrown in jail in Lebanon after they helped a mother abduct her children and pistol-whipped a grandma in the process...????

Nine News Australia / PR IMAGE

Yep, I'm remembering all that correctly. Here's the team celebrating upon their release from a Beirut prison.

83. The Streisand effect.

Stephanie Peatling @srpeatling

.@ellinghausen turns his camera on Immigration Minister Peter Dutton.

01:46 AM - 03 May 2016

Stephanie Peatling @srpeatling

IM Dutton's office tres unhappy abt most recent pic of him so have taken it off twitter because I don't have time to argue with them.

02:24 AM - 03 May 2016

Peatling originally tweeted it with the caption "Eek".

84. Duncan Storrar asked a question on Q&A, then ended up on the front page of the Herald Sun.

ABC

Storrar talked about living on the minimum wage with a disability, and asked Kelly O'Dwyer about lifting his tax-free threshold. O'Dwyer's answer mentioned "growing the pie" and helping cafes buy new $6,000 toasters. Next thing you know, #IStandWithDuncan is trending and a GoFundMe is bringing in donations. So, the Herald Sun, dug up his criminal record, and The Australian interviewed his estranged son about his parenting. Storrar said he became scared to go outside and had to temporarily move to another house.

85. Eddie McGuire joked about drowning The Age's footy journalist Caroline Wilson.

youtube.com

Talking about the then popular ice bucket challenge, McGuire joked that he'd like to see Wilson (who had questioned whether it was time for him to retire as Collingwood president) put under water and kept there. He initially defended the comments as a joke, then retracted them. Wilson wrote a column calling him a bully.

86. The fake tradie.

Raving inner-city lunatic (from the bush) @Billablog

Also, why is his saw-stool set up in a lane outside the fencing? And who has a ceramic cup on a building site?

11:36 AM - 19 Jun 2016

Ohhh you want me to believe that's a REAL tradie, do you, Liberal Party? Do you think I'm some sort of idiot? A buffoon?!??! I know an actor when I see one. (OK, turns out he was a real tradie after all but it was fun hunting for clues that he wasn't.)

87. Bill Leak published an offensive cartoon about Aboriginal dads.

The Australian

The Australian published this cartoon in August 2016, a few weeks after Four Corners' bombshell story about the abuse of Aboriginal children in Don Dale detention centre in the Northern Territory. The Press Council received over 700 complaints. Despite finding the cartoon caused "substantial offence, distress or prejudice" the council decided against sanctioning the paper, which agreed to publish two opinion pieces on Indigenous issues.

88. Mullet boy became a lawsuit.

Jeremy Nool

Do you know the mullet man? The mullet man! He became a meme in 2015, sued for defamation in 2016, and secured settlements with various media companies in 2018.

89. This spectacular live cross cameo at the Melbourne Cup.

youtube.com

"It's important. How dare you. Channel Nine, he needs to know, he needs to find the owner!"

90. The Daily Mail thought it was cool to write up Sam Armytage's underpants.

Anthony B, oh god we're all going to die @swearyanthony

What a shit rag

10:59 AM - 11 Dec 2016

Reader, it was not cool.

2017

91. "I need Julie to put a jacket on because we're all in white."

youtube.com

"Julie, you need to put a jacket on!". 2017 began with JacketGate when video of the stoush leaked to Mumbrella. Now that you've watched the video, do the BuzzFeed quiz.

92. "Prime Minister Trumble".

Nine Network

Remember when Laurie Oakes called Malcolm Turnbull "prime minister Trumble" — a nod to what Donald Trump called our then-leader — to his damn face? That smile sure looks real hey Mal.

93. A Yahoo journo was convicted of contempt.

Julian Smith / AAPIMAGE

Krystal Johnson's article — "Man paused to take a 'smoke break' while bashing girlfriend to death" — caused a murder trial to be aborted because it included information that had not been heard by a jury. Johnson's work wasn't checked by an editor before being published, and Yahoo7 was fined $300,000 in February 2017 over the contempt. The episode raised questions about digital news models that put young journalists under pressure to file repeatedly without editorial oversight. Johnson no longer works in journalism.

94. An A Current Affair reporter was arrested on child porn charges.

David Moir / AAPIMAGE

Ben McCormack was arrested in April 2017, after describing himself as a "pedo" online and discussing a sexual interest in boys and child pornography. During his time as a reporter, McCormack had tracked down and confronted Hey Dad..! star and child sex offender Robert Hughes.

95. An ABC newsreader got distracted by a pen.

youtube.com

Natasha Exelby missed her cue but gave us something much better. She's now a reporter at Ten News.

96. John Clarke died.

youtube.com

We lost the legendary satirist John Clarke on April 9, 2017. He was best known for his spots with Bryan Dawe on 7.30, and his series The Games.

97. Yassmin Abdel-Magied became the biggest topic in Australia over one Facebook post.

Facebook

Abdel-Magied deleted the ANZAC Day post and apologised, but it wasn't enough. At 26, she became "Australia's most publicly hated Muslim", with dedicated coverage in The Australian and 2GB's Prue MacSween saying she'd be tempted to run Abdel-Magied over. Abdel-Magied has since moved to London.

98. "House is always haunt..."

Ben @scouse_roar

@SpikeEskin house is always haunt, spike. as moving proves

08:37 AM - 15 Oct 2017

"...as moving proves." (The original headline has sadly been amended.)

99. Mark Colvin died.

Abc / PR IMAGE

Anyone who grew up listening to ABC radio would know Mark Colvin's voice. He died of lung cancer on May 11, 2017, at 65, having lived with kidney failure for several years. The Guardian's Amanda Meade remembered him as "a broadcaster whose four-decade career combined the best of old-school journalism with a passion for the digital age that delivered his insights and wit to a whole new audience on Twitter."

100. Laurie Oakes ripped the mask off the Midwinter Ball.

LaurieOakes @LaurieOakes

Stand-up Mal https://t.co/cclBarMkiz

05:11 AM - 15 Jun 2017

youtube.com

Malcolm Turnbull delivered a fairly average Trump impression at the off-the-record Midwinter Ball in June 2017...and Laurie Oakes put it on TV, saying because he didn't attend, he wasn't bound by the obligation. The Midwinter Ball, an annual shindig for politicians and press gallery journalists, is no longer off-the-record.

101. An ABC journo was shot in the neck reporting in the Philippines and survived.

Adam Harvey @adharves

Lucky.

06:01 AM - 15 Jun 2017

102. Chris Uhlmann's savage piece-to-camera about Trump.

youtube.com

He went viral.

103. A neo-Nazi was interviewed live on Australia's national broadcaster.

youtube.com

How should the national broadcaster respond to a deadly white nationalist rally in an American university town? Why, get one of the organisers on the show! Triple J's Tom Tilley had previously hosted far-right leader, Blair Cottrell, on his Hack Live TV special.

104. Lisa Wilkinson quit Today, apparently over a gender pay gap.

Lisa Wilkinson @Lisa_Wilkinson

I have some news. I'm sad to say that today was my last day on @the today show. The following statement is from Channel Nine...

08:56 AM - 16 Oct 2017

Yaaaaaaaasssss queen! Wilkinson was offered $1.8 million but she wanted $2.3 million. Today co-host Karl Stefanovic was on $2 million, but Nine's bosses claimed that was because he had other duties at the station.

Lisa Wilkinson @Lisa_Wilkinson

Thanks so much to everyone for all your lovely messages. I have some more news. This statement is from @channelten. I'm absolutely thrilled.

09:56 AM - 16 Oct 2017

She then joined Ten's The Project. SLAY.

105. Michaelia Cash's office was revealed as the source of a leak about an AFP raid on a union.

David Crosling / AAPIMAGE

Cash told Senate Estimates she did not know about the AFP's raid on the Australian Workers' Union before it began – but after a BuzzFeed News report she admitted one of her staff members had tipped journalists off.

106. "I ain't spending any time on it."

youtube.com

This was Bob Katter's unique take on the marriage equality debate:

"I mean, you know, people are entitled to their sexual proclivities. Let there be a thousand blossoms bloom, as far as I’m concerned."

*complete and utter mood change*

"But I ain't spending any time on it, because in the mean time, every three months, a person is torn to pieces by a crocodile in North Queensland."

107. The Hottest 100 moved from Australia Day.

triplejHack @triplejHack

#BREAKING triple j won't hold 2018 Hottest 100 on Australia Day ... moved to Jan 27

04:39 AM - 27 Nov 2017

The #ChangeTheDate movement led to a lot of reflection and consultation at Triple J, which decided to move its iconic countdown. Then there was a culture war!

108. The Geoffrey Rush #MeToo story broke.

Bianca De Marchi / AAPIMAGE

The New York Times had published its Harvey Weinstein scoop in October 2017, and everyone in Australia was looking for the next big story. The Daily Telegraph published a story that said Geoffrey Rush (pictured outside the Federal Court) had been accused of sexual misconduct by his King Lear co-star Eryn Jean Norvill – but Norvill didn't speak to the Tele for its story. Rush sued, Rush won, the newspaper appealed, and we're all still waiting to see how this resolves.

109. "Eat shit Lyle."

Chairman Rose’s side pussy @villainmorris

eat shit lyle

06:54 AM - 07 Dec 2017

It's just what everyone on Twitter decided to say to Australian Christian Lobby head Lyle Shelton when same-sex marriage became legal on Dec. 7, 2017.

jœnnüï @jonnoxrevanche

In Australia we don't say "take a hike" we say "eat shit Lyle Shelton" and I think that's beautiful 🙂

07:51 AM - 07 Dec 2017

It appears to have started with this tweet a few months earlier.

Lindsay McDowens @doctormcdougall

@LyleShelton I've got 53,000. Eat shit Lyle.

05:42 AM - 01 Jul 2017

2018

110. Bundle of Joyce.

Andrew Greene @AndrewBGreene

It goes without saying this will cause a stir tomorrow

11:08 AM - 06 Feb 2018

Former deputy PM Barnaby Joyce had an affair with his former staffer, Vikki Campion. She became pregnant, the Daily Telegraph papped her crossing the road, and put it on the front page.

The couple did a paid interview about the saga and have since had another child.

111. One article about tax cuts started a months-long drama for the national broadcaster.

Financial Review @FinancialReview

An attack by ABC reporter Emma Alberici on business tax cuts contained nine errors, @apatrickafr reports. https://t.co/ni60HLjtl3 #ausbiz

09:15 AM - 10 Apr 2018

Read the analysis from Emma Alberici here.

112. The Fire and Fury author suddenly couldn't hear Ben Fordham when he started asking awkward questions.

youtube.com

113. SEE YA!

youtube.com

I miss Lucy Gichuhi.

114. Sunrise's Indigenous kids panel.

Peter Rae / AAPIMAGE

In March 2018 Sunrise broadcast an all-white panel discussing Aboriginal children, with one contributor suggesting we might need to "do it again" – "it" being the Stolen Generations. It sparked protests, a complaint to ACMA and a defamation case. Channel Seven has now agreed to publicly apologise and pay compensation to a group of people from the community it discussed.

115. Cory Bernardi lost his shit over the c-word.

Danny Casey / AAPIMAGE

The ABC's comedy show Tonightly broadcast a skit calling an Australian Conservatives candidate a See You Next Tuesday. Then Bernardi said "someone needs to lose their jobs". (Five months later, EVERYONE lost their jobs as Tonightly was cancelled.)

116. Speaking of the c-word... "Vapid cunts".

Emily Baker @emlybkr

Refreshing honesty from the Daily Mail this morning https://t.co/izxC2xpveE

02:24 AM - 15 Apr 2018

That's what the Daily Mail called dating show contestants.

Tahlia Pritchard @Tahls

tag yourself, I'm the vapid cunt https://t.co/0JQCRKtTm2

03:01 AM - 15 Apr 2018

117. The Teacher's Pet debuted in May 2018.

Dan Himbrechts / AAPIMAGE

The podcast from The Australian was a massive hit, leading to fresh digging at the old home of Lynette Dawson and her husband Chris (pictured as he is extradited from NSW to Queensland), an arrest, and a Gold Walkley for journalist Hedley Thomas. It was removed after Chris was charged with Lynette's murder, to avoid prejudicing the trial.

118. Sky News gave David Leyonhjelm a platform to slut-shame Sarah Hanson-Young.

Sky News

Sky News' Outsiders program had David Leyonhjelm on, and he said some pretty nasty stuff about fellow senator Sarah Hanson-Young, following up on his invitation in parliament for her to "stop shagging men". Leyonhjelm's comments were added to the Sky News strap. Sky later apologised and suspended the producer.

Hanson-Young sued Leyonhjelm over this and other comments and won.

119. The death of Fairfax.

Kate McClymont @Kate_McClymont

So after 150-plus years this is all we get: “I would like to thank everyone for their contribution to Fairfax” https://t.co/GHjXMRTX2f

11:19 PM - 25 Jul 2018

Exit Fairfax, enter "Nine newspapers". Still doesn't roll off the tongue.

120. Turnbull basically refused to take questions from News Corp journos at his final press conference.

youtube.com

121. Osman Faruqi v Mark Latham.

Annabel Crabb @annabelcrabb

If you've nothing to read over lunch, I highly recommend Justice Wigney's judgment striking out Mark Latham's 76-page defence to Osman Faruqi's defamation action against him. It is absolutely hilarious and a champagne piece of legal writing. https://t.co/zXydHzJGuJ

01:07 AM - 30 Aug 2018

Former federal opposition leader Mark Latham accused the ABC's Osman Faruqi of encouraging terrorists and fostering anti-white racism in Australia. Faruqi sued him for defamation in a case that ultimately settled — but not before Latham's first defence was dragged to hell by Justice Wigney of the Federal Court.

122. The Sarah Ferguson / Steve Bannon interview.

Sarah Ferguson @FergusonNews

What’s wrong with this photo? NOTHING #NewYorkerFest #NewYorkerBoycott #stopsilos @abcnews @4corners

05:35 AM - 04 Sep 2018

What's wrong with this photo? NOTHING!

123. That Serena Williams cartoon.

AJ+ @ajplus

The Australian Press Council says this Serena Williams cartoon doesn't breach standards of practice after people called it out for being racist.

02:43 PM - 25 Feb 2019

The Herald Sun published Mark Knight's cartoon in September 2018 and it went viral, globally.

124. Alan Jones was sued over his Grantham flood comments.

Glenn Hunt / AAPIMAGE

Jones and his radio stations were ordered to pay the Wagner family millions of dollars after losing a defamation lawsuit in September 2018. Jones defamed the family when he alleged they were responsible for the deaths of 12 people.

125. We all learnt about Scott Morrison's model boat.

Lukas Coch / AAPIMAGE

But only because New York Times journalist Maureen Dowd visited the country.

126. ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie was fired.

Lukas Coch / AAPIMAGE

Then chairman Justin Milne was accused of editorial interference and resigned. Then Guthrie accused Milne of rubbing her back inappropriately when they were out to dinner, which he strongly denied. The fight was explosive and very public.

127. The Bachelor chose.........nobody.

youtube.com

Honestly, I think the fact the man went by the name "Honey Badger" was enough of a clue that he wasn't ready.

128. Ross Cameron (L) was fired from Sky News' Outsiders.

Sky News

How terrible a thing do you have to say to get kicked off Outsiders?

This terrible: "If you go to the Disneyland in Shanghai on any typical morning of the week you'll see 20,000 black-haired, slanty-eyed, yellow-skinned Chinese desperate to get into Disneyland."

129. The suppression order on the Pell verdict was, dare I say, disrespected.

BuzzFeed

130. New Idea broke a story that led federal politician Andrew Broad to resign from the ministry.

New Idea magazine @NewIdeamagazine

Nationals MP Andrew Broad shock 'sugar baby' secret: https://t.co/ALVWjUlT80

09:00 PM - 16 Dec 2018

131. Karl Stefanovic fell from grace (and then returned).

Dan Himbrechts / AAPIMAGE

After a long-running brouhaha over Stefanovic's split from wife Cassandra Thorburn and new relationship with designer Jasmine Yarbrough (R), Stefanovic (L) got the flick from Today while on his honeymoon in December 2018. He wouldn't end up spending much time in the wilderness, however: he's back as co-host in 2020.

2019

132. "Legged it cos I was shit scared."

7NEWS Townsville @7NewsTownsville

An 18-year-old learner driver is in a world of trouble after allegedly trying to run from the scene of an accident this morning. https://t.co/zziGAryiK0 @Ben_Downie #7News

08:07 AM - 11 Jan 2019

133. Retired High Court judge and stone-cold bitch Ken Hayne refused to shake Josh Frydenberg's hand in front of the media.

youtube.com

"Can we get a handshake or something between...?"

"Nope."

*awkward laughter*

134. "You're sounding quite racist now".

youtube.com

Kerri-Anne Kennerley on remote Aboriginal communities: "Children, babies, five-year-olds are being RAPED, their mothers are being raped, their sisters are being raped, they get no education. What have you done?"

Yumi Stynes: "That is not even faintly true, Kerri, and you're sounding quite racist now."

135. Media outlets broadcast the Christchurch shooting video.

New Zealand Police @nzpolice

Police are aware there is extremely distressing footage relating to the incident in Christchurch circulating online. We would strongly urge that the link not be shared. We are working to have any footage removed.

03:49 AM - 15 Mar 2019

Sky News Australia played footage of the shooter as he approached the mosque, Ten Daily embedded the footage on its website, news.com.au published stills from his video, and Nine used some of his footage too. None showed the actual shooting.

136. Egg Boy!

Henry Belot @Henry_Belot

Someone has just slapped an egg on the back of Australian Senator Fraser Anning's head, who immediately turned around and punched him in the face. @politicsabc @abcnews

05:34 AM - 16 Mar 2019

In 2019, we fell in love with Egg Boy, AKA Australian teen Will Connolly, who expertly cracked an egg on the head of far-right senator Fraser Anning in front of news cameras and while filming it himself. People crowdfunded to cover any legal costs he incurred, but he donated the money (nearly $100,000) to the Christchurch victims. And what's more, Connolly was the rare internet hero who never got milkshake ducked.

137. 7AFL posted, then deleted, this iconic picture of AFLW player Tayla Harris.

Tayla Harris @taylaharriss

Here’s a pic of me at work... think about this before your derogatory comments, animals.

09:16 AM - 19 Mar 2019

7AFL @7AFL

07:28 AM - 19 Mar 2019

Her amazing kick is now celebrated in Melbourne's Federation Square.

David Crosling / AAPIMAGE

138. Al Jazeera went undercover with One Nation.

Al Jazeera

Secret recordings showed the advice the U.S. gun rights group, the National Rifle Association (NRA), gave One Nation about winding back Australia’s tough gun laws and responding to mass shootings, including by “shaming” gun control groups with statements like: "How dare you stand on the graves of those children to put forward your political agenda?"

The footage was filmed with a hidden camera by undercover journalist Rodger Muller, who infiltrated the NRA and One Nation by posing as the head of fake lobby group Gun Rights Australia.

The story showed One Nation’s chief of staff James Ashby and Queensland leader Steve Dickson seeking $20 million in donations and promising to loosen gun restrictions in Australia.

It led to this ~unique~ press conference.

Sky News Australia @SkyNewsAust

One Nation’s Steve Dickson and James Ashby respond to NRA video release: @SteveDicksonQLD: I never ever suspected, in my wildest dreams, that this guy was employed by Al Jazeera as an Australian spy to interfere in politics. MORE: https://t.co/T7N5hLanbh #speers

06:17 AM - 26 Mar 2019

139. Waleed Aly interviewed Jacinda Ardern.

The Project @theprojecttv

Last week, Waleed travelled to Christchurch and sat down with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to find out how she and her country have been coping through its darkest days... #TheProjectTV

08:43 AM - 25 Mar 2019

140. An extremely accomplished political journalist revealed an extremely childish approach to social media.

ABC

The man has won a Walkley, but he was happy to admit this petty behaviour to the ABC.

141. An Anning supporter threw a punch at a News Corp journo.

Joel Carrett / AAPIMAGE

News Corp photographer Dylan Robinson (right) and journalist Eliza Barr (centre) went to cover a Cronulla press conference with far-right senator Fraser Anning — and were attacked by a 19-year-old Anning supporter. His assault charges were later dismissed because of his poor mental health.

142. Leaked footage from a strip club led One Nation candidate Steve Dickson to resign.

Nine

The footage from inside a club in Washington DC was aired by Nine's A Current Affair and showed Dickson making disparaging comments about women and groping a dancer.

In the video, Dickson calls one of the dancers a "bitch" and in an exchange with another dancer asks the woman to "slide your hand on my ****".

"I think white women f*** a whole lot better, they know what they're doing. Asian chicks don't," he was recorded saying. "I've done more Asian than I know what to do with."

The footage was recorded during Al Jazeera's undercover investigation into One Nation's attempts to gain donations from the NRA and leaked to A Current Affair.

143. Chris Kenny quit Twitter.

Dan Himbrechts / AAPIMAGE

The news that the conservative journalist wouldn't be tweeting any more emerged in May 2019 . He wasn't the only person Twitter lost this decade — quitting became more and more fashionable as time went on.

144. "I noticed I run faster naked."

youtube.com

145. The AFP raided the ABC and Annika Smethurst's home.

Bianca Demarchi / AAPIMAGE

And John Lyons developed a taste for live-tweeting.

John Lyons @TheLyonsDen

ABC lawyers and AFP officers hover over a computer as they work out what comes within the terms of the warrant. At the end of the table, on the right, are the AFP digital forensics people.

02:58 AM - 05 Jun 2019

146. Kerry O'Brien's ode to the ABC.

youtube.com

Get the tissues ready.

147. A former TV executive voluntarily admitted he left a child to be eaten by cannibals so his competitors wouldn't get the story. OK.

Richardson Cameron / AAPIMAGE

Remember Wawa?

Gary Linnell (pictured, centre) wrote this about the saga in 2019: "As the director of News and Current Affairs at Nine, I understood just how much was at stake. A large cooking pot was starting to boil somewhere in the lush jungles of West Papua and Wawa would require just a little seasoning before he was added to the menu.

"But far more life-threatening was the potential ratings bonanza for Seven."

148. RIP lion ooshie.

youtube.com

This is simply what it was.

Chris A @DamnYouChrisA

@HannahD15 A 13 minute segment dedicated to executing a Lion King Ooshie on morning television.

10:03 PM - 21 Nov 2019

149. WHO Magazine printed a photo of the wrong black model.

instagram.com

Supermodel Adut Akech said it felt like her "entire race" had been disrespected.

150. An Aboriginal woman told Pauline Hanson her native land was England.

SBS News @SBSNews

Pauline Hanson asked this young Indigenous woman if she knows what the word Indigenous means, here's how she responded.

10:45 AM - 26 Aug 2019

151. Sunrise's Edwina Bartholomew tweeted that a Channel Nine reporter [redacted].

Edwina Bartholomew @edwina_b

On 14/9 I made a statement on Twitter about @sebcostello9. While I won’t repeat it, what I said about him was false, hurtful and completely inappropriate . I unreservedly apologise to Seb and his family for the hurt and offence my words caused.

06:43 AM - 25 Oct 2019

Seb Costello's employer raised the possibility of legal action, while Bartholomew apologised and said she was "half asleep and on the other side of the world" when she posted the tweet.

152. A court clerk died after negative reporting about her relationship with a magistrate.

Dan Nicholson @dpn78

Compelling @ABCmediawatch on the tragic story of Ashleigh Petrie tonight. Worth watching - and a moment for reflection for those in the media and the justice system. https://t.co/UAv3h0TLgy

10:58 AM - 04 Nov 2019

153. An all-women Q&A episode was pulled after panellists swore and discussed violence.

Mona Eltahawy @monaeltahawy

#Australia’s public broadcaster the ABC has - in 2019 - censored an episode of the show Q&A because 235 viewers complained of: - “coarse language” - I said “fuck 10 times” - “radical views" - I asked “How many rapists must we kill before men stop raping women?” My statement

01:16 AM - 12 Dec 2019

But Mona Eltahawy wasn't sorry.

154. BuzzFeed News let me publish this very, very long list.

ABC/AFR

Happy holidays and see you in 2020.