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Denis Muller

Denis Muller

Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne

Denis Muller was born in New Zealand in 1948 and emigrated to Australia in 1969. He was educated at Rosmini College, Auckland, and at the University of Melbourne.

After three years on suburban newspapers in Auckland, he joined The Sydney Morning Herald as a sub-editor in 1969. In 1978 he joined The Times, London, also as a sub-editor, before returning to take up the position of Chief Sub-editor of the Herald in 1980.

He subsequently held the positions of Night Editor, News Editor and Assistant Editor (Investigations) at that newspaper, until joining The Age, Melbourne, as Associate Editor in 1986.

At both newspapers, his responsibilities including representing the papers as an advocate before the Australian Press Council.

From 1984 until he left newspapers in 1993, he worked closely with Irving Saulwick, one of Australia's leading public opinion pollsters, in the management and writing of the Saulwick Poll which was published in The Age as AgePoll and in the Herald as HeraldSurvey.

In 1990 he was accepted as a mature-age student into the Public Policy program at the University of Melbourne. He completed a Postgraduate Diploma in 1992 and a Master's degree in 1994.

In 1993 he left The Age to take up a position as Group Manager, Communications, at the Board of Studies, Victoria.

In 1995 he established the research consultancy Denis Muller & Associates, and was appointed a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Public Policy at the University of Melbourne.

In 2006 he completed a doctoral thesis on media ethics and accountability, and was appointed a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Public Policy, where he has taught in the Public Policy program since 1997.

He has also taught research methodology at RMIT University, and teaches defamation law to practising journalists through the Communication Law Centre.

Alarmist reporting on COVID-19 will only heighten people's anxieties and drive vaccine hesitancy

May 23, 2021 03:32 am UTC| Health

From an ethics perspective, it has been a bad couple of weeks for media coverage of COVID-19. First, there was a highly questionable story in The Australian about China allegedly weaponising coronavirus, with the...

Tensions rise on coronavirus handling as the media take control of the accountability narrative

Aug 14, 2020 15:51 pm UTC| Insights & Views

Media coverage of disasters follows a broadly similar trajectory, even though the disasters themselves might take very different forms. The COVID-19 crisis in Victoria is no exception. Although it is unfolding over a...

In publishing Tom Cotton, the New York Times has made a terrible error of judgment

Jun 05, 2020 10:50 am UTC| Insights & Views

When a newspaper with the authority of The New York Times chooses to publish a party-political essay calculated to further inflame the violence wracking cities across America, serious questions arise. On June 3 the...

Coronavirus is a huge story, so journalists must apply the highest ethical standards in how they tell it

Mar 12, 2020 15:50 pm UTC| Insights & Views

From an ethical perspective, covering the coronavirus story is really hard to do well. The reason for this lies in an inherent conflict between two ethical obligations: the obligation to truth-telling and the obligation...

Climate Change Series

Media 'impartiality' on climate change is ethically misguided and downright dangerous

Feb 03, 2020 12:31 pm UTC| Insights & Views

In September 2019, the editor of The Conversation, Misha Ketchell, declared The Conversations editorial team in Australia was henceforth taking what he called a zero-tolerance approach to climate change deniers and...

Dutton directive gives journalists more breathing space, but not whistleblowers

Aug 12, 2019 06:08 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

In light of the ministerial direction issued to the Australian Federal Police by the Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on August 9, it would be a spectacular contradiction in policy if the Australian Federal Polices...

Media watchdog's report into Christchurch shootings goes soft on showing violent footage

Jul 28, 2019 11:07 am UTC| Insights & Views

Coverage of the Christchurch terrorism by Australias television channels raised serious questions about whether they had breached the television codes of practice, according to the broadcasting regulator, the Australian...

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Economy

Deutsche Bank Sees Global Capital Shifts Reshaping Long-Term U.S. Dollar Outlook

Structural changes in global capital flows, technological innovation, and geopolitical developments are redefining the long-term outlook for the U.S. dollar, according to a new research note from Deutsche Bank. The bank...

Trump, Canada Reach Gordie Howe Bridge Deal Ahead of July 27 Opening

The $4.7 billion Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is set to open on July 27 after the United States and Canada reached a new agreement on toll revenue, ending months of uncertainty...

Gordie Howe Bridge to Open July 27 After U.S.-Canada Reach Toll Revenue Agreement

The long-awaited Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, is set to officially open on July 27 after the United States and Canada reached a new agreement over toll revenue,...

Fed Reaffirms 2% Inflation Goal, Vows Forceful Action to Anchor Price Expectations

The Federal Reserve reaffirmed its commitment to restoring price stability, saying it is prepared to act forcefully if necessary to keep longer-term inflation expectations anchored around its 2% target. The pledge came in...

Dollar Ends Week Higher as Yen Jumps on Japan Pension Fund Investment Plans

The U.S. dollar traded within a narrow range on Friday and was on track for a modest weekly gain as investors weighed evolving inflation expectations, Federal Reserve policy signals, and renewed geopolitical tensions in...

Politics

Iran's Supreme Leader Vows Revenge as Trump Threatens Massive U.S. Military Response

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei vowed on Saturday to avenge the death of his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, escalating tensions with the United States as President Donald Trump warned that...

Iran Says It Closes Strait of Hormuz After Warning Shot at Vessel

Irans Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) navy announced early Sunday that it has closed the Strait of Hormuz until further notice after firing a warning shot at a vessel it claimed was attempting to transit through the strategic...

DOJ Subpoenas New York Times Journalists Over Air Force One Leak Report

The U.S. Department of Justice has ordered several New York Times journalists to appear before a federal grand jury after the newspaper reported on security concerns surrounding President Donald Trumps new Air Force One...

Ann Widdecombe Murder: Police Arrest Second Suspect, Rule Out Terrorism Motive

British police have arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of murdering former UK government minister Ann Widdecombe, while investigators said there is currently no evidence linking the case to terrorism or a political...

Ukraine Says Drone Strikes Hit 21 Russian Oil Tankers as Russia Launches Fresh Missile Barrage

Ukraine said its military damaged 21 Russian tankers carrying crude oil and petroleum products during overnight drone strikes in the Sea of Azov, marking one of Kyivs most significant attacks on Russias energy transport...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Apple Sues OpenAI, Former Employees Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft

Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and two former Apple employees, accusing them of misappropriating confidential company information and trade secrets tied to its hardware development efforts. The lawsuit, filed...

SK Hynix Soars 13% in Nasdaq Debut After Record $26.5 Billion IPO

SK Hynix made a strong debut on the Nasdaq on Friday, with its American Depositary Receipt (ADR) shares closing 12.8% higher at $168.01 after completing a record-breaking $26.5 billion U.S. initial public offering (IPO),...

Elon Musk Says Anthropic Leads AI Race as Claude Models Challenge OpenAI

Elon Musk has publicly praised artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, saying the company is obviously the current leader in AI, in a rare acknowledgment of a key rival as competition among top AI developers...

OpenAI Executive Fidji Simo to Step Down Amid Health Challenges Ahead of IPO

OpenAIs head of products and business, Fidji Simo, announced on Thursday that she will step down from her leadership role and transition to a part-time advisory position after experiencing complications from a chronic...

Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong Expected to Meet Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on AI and Chip Partnership

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is expected to meet Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in the United States by the end of July as the two technology giants explore deeper cooperation in semiconductor manufacturing and...
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