Residents evacuate as NSW floods + The ‘wicked problem’ in social media

Tuesday Headlines: Residents in parts of NSW are evacuating due to severe weather and flooding, Bondi Junction attack inquest’s expected to hear from more expert witnesses today, Israel issues fresh warnings as aid starts to flow, RBA tipped to cut cash rate today, and Telstra continues denying allegations it’s misled Australians.

Deep Dive: A huge amount of what we engage with online is fake, from profiles to the comments, likes and views, much of it comes from ‘bots’.

While we know bots have been used in the past to spread disinformation, astroturf, spruik the next big brand or boost a follower count, who’s behind them, and what happens when they’re used to do harm instead of good?

In this episode of The Briefing, Tara Cassidy speaks with Digital Media Researcher Professor Timothy Graham about the world of bots, and the issues and ethics behind media manipulation.

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Cover image credit: Copacabana Rural Fire Brigade - NSW RFS

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