The Morning Edition

Hosted by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald

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Episodes

100

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-AU

About the show

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

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60 recent

October 15, 202627 min

Jim Chalmers’ facts, an ordinary voter’s feelings and the political reality

This week – again – is all about the economy, which includes a visit from a ghost of the past in the form of former treasurer Josh Frydenberg. But the big topic for today is current treasurer Jim Chalmers and a speech he gave this week, in which he warned progressives not to mock One Nation voters. The far-right strategy to divide people was working, he said, and although facts could push back on sensationalism and misinformation, “facts don’t beat feelings”. Chalmers also acknowledged that voters’ dissatisfaction with the government was primarily linked to the economy and cost-of-living pressures. He asked people to give him more time and, in a year, things would get better. But are voters done? Will people give him another 12 months without further damaging support for Labor? Senior columnist Jacqueline Maley is back in the hosting chair and today’s guest is senior economics correspondent Shane Wright. Further reading Frydenberg: A grateful son or a relentless self-promoter? So many people are angry. It’s becoming clear where this comes from Cut through the noise of federal politics with host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal on Inside Politics, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age , every Friday. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October 14, 202622 min

A public execution and a Russian deal – will Trump’s midterm distractions work?

The Pentagon’s plans to livestream the execution of a former US army psychiatrist who murdered 13 soldiers at an army base has been met with disbelief in many quarters. Even so, the plan, which would mark the first US military execution by firing squad since the end of WWII, was overshadowed by even more destabilising announcements by President Donald Trump over the last week. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher talks about what Trump is doing to distract voters from the bashing Republicans are likely to get in the midterm elections in less than three weeks. Further reading: When Trump gets a thrashing at the midterms, four words will come back to haunt him Update: On Friday, Australian time, Donald Trump said the Pentagon will no longer livestream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan. The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age , weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October 13, 202623 min

The ‘glass cliff’ and why the McKinsey saga shows it still exists

A senior Australian partner at global consultancy firm McKinsey made global headlines this week when he was stripped of a key leadership position after deriding the so-called “glass cliff” for women at work. Chris Bradley, who remains a senior partner at the firm, was dumped from a leadership role after he said on LinkedIn that the glass cliff was a “very convenient way to always be a victim in the rain”. Gender equality expert Dr Michelle Ryan coined the term more than 20 years ago to describe a trend of women being more likely to be appointed to leadership roles in times of crisis. Ryan, now the director of the Australian National University’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, is today's guest on The Morning Edition . Further reading McKinsey strips Australian partner of leadership role after ‘glass cliff’ comments The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age , weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October 12, 202622 min

Australia is incubating a dementia time bomb

Dementia is the No.1 cause of death here. And it’s a uniquely terrifying one, given it can often lead to an eroded sense of self, and lost memory of loved ones. The number of cases are set to double by 2061, when it’s expected 1 million Australians will suffer from dementia. But now, some Australians are accessing new therapies, which can, in the case of Alzheimer’s disease - the most common form of dementia - slow its progress. Today, senior writer Clair Weaver, on how close we are to a cure for dementia. And why only some Australians are no longer hostages to neurodegeneration, as we age. Further reading: ‘There’s plenty you can do’: The lifestyle changes you can make to curb the risk of dementia Urgent injection of funds needed to stave off dementia crisis For years, dementia researchers had no answers, but now the word ‘breakthrough’ is on their lips The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age , weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple , Spotify , Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October 11, 202621 min

How a remote Ecuadorian village took on Gina Rinehart

Lucia Chicaiza lives in northern Ecuador, in a sleepy farming town of just over 2000 people, at the foot of the Andes. She also happens to live near a lucrative gold and copper deposit that has caught the eye of Australia’s richest person: Gina Rinehart. Investigative reporter Marta Pascual Juanola spent a month in Ecuador investigating a mining industry that operates in shades of grey, where she found alleged worker exploitation, intimidation tactics and violence. Further reading Mountains of Trouble: Bumpy road for Rinehart’s offshore mining push McLarens, Mar-a-Lago and machine guns: Introducing Gina Rinehart’s controversial new frontier point man The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age , weekdays from 5am. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October 8, 202637 min

Coalition’s 'race to the bottom on migration' and former immigration official answers your questions

It’s been a year since Liberal MP Andrew Hastie quit Sussan Ley’s frontbench to speak his mind on migration. His decision fractured the Coalition and Ley’s ambition to woo back multicultural communities with a more moderate stance. How things change in a year. But through it all, migration has become a more heated political issue. On Tuesday, Angus Taylor announced the Coalition’s long-awaited policy, promising the biggest cut to immigration in Australia’s history . So what are the merits and the pitfalls of the Coalition's plan? Former deputy secretary of immigration Abul Rizvi – who is today's special guest – and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal pull apart the policy and the politics before Rivzi answers a number of listener and reader questions on migration. Today's host is federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos before regular host Jacqueline Maley returns to the chair next week. Further reading: The cost of cutting foreign workers: Fares spike in Taylor’s migration gamble International student cuts risk ‘very significant hole’, universities warn Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October 7, 202623 min

Godlike worship of AI is happening, and the Pope is its greatest opponent

While the rest of us have been dreaming of the promise of AI to cure diseases, and fretting about the threat of robots overtaking humanity, a growing number of people have started literally worshipping AI. At online churches, and in front of an AI deity, people around the world are asking this technology for advice, seeking guidance to life’s most difficult problems. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses what could happen if such worshipping becomes mainstream, and why the leaders of one of the world’s most powerful AI companies tried to enlist the Pope to take AI consciousness seriously. Further reading: Plenty of people believe that AI can be God. Just not the Pope The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age , weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple , Spotify , Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October 6, 202624 min

Inside 'sandpapergate' – cricket's greatest scandal

Australians woke up on a Sunday morning in 2018 to extraordinary vision plastered across their television screens and mobile phones: Cameron Bancroft, the opening batsman on the Australian men’s cricket team, caught on camera using a piece of sandpaper to tamper with the ball during a Test match in Cape Town. It was one of the most brazen acts of cheating ever broadcast. This week, the Australian team returns to South Africa for their first Test series in the country since that scandal, which remains one of Australian sport's darkest moments. Today, senior sports reporter Chris Barrett and chief cricket writer Daniel Brettig, recording from South Africa, on the so-called “arms race” of ball tampering that proceeded the 2018 Test, and how South Africans might respond when the captain from the 2018 team walks out onto the ground on Friday. Further reading: ‘Just be careful, they’re on you’: Inside cricket’s greatest scandal The Sandpaper series was radioactive from the start. Then a USB stick was delivered to my room The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age , weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple , Spotify , Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October 5, 202624 min

The royals have a rich history of lawsuits, but Andrew’s action is different

There’s been big news from the UK overnight, with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, launching legal action against police over his arrest in relation to the Epstein files. Not since the 1649 trial of King Charles I has a British royal mounted a legal challenge of this magnitude, according to the UK Telegraph, which broke the bombshell story. Today’s guest is culture editor-at-large and our local royal expert, Michael Idato. Further reading: Andrew takes police to court over Epstein files arrest The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age , weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October 4, 202615 min

I was a teenage boy online. It took 13 minutes for the manosphere to come

According to new analysis, screen time could damage children more than being born into poverty. The findings from the University of Calgary say higher doses of screen exposure are associated with lower overall academic achievement, poorer language development and emotional and peer problems. So what’s it actually like to be a 17-year-old on social media? What material are you fed – and how quickly? Crime and justice reporter Amber Schultz found out after she created new accounts posing first as a teenage boy, and then as a girl. Today, Schultz talks about her descent into the algorithm and what surprised her. Further reading: Posing as a 17-year-old girl online, I expected body image content. I got gender division I posed as a 17-year-old boy on social media. It took 13 minutes to be shown the manosphere The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age , weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple , Spotify , YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.