We Used to be Journos Insider's look at the past two decades of Aussie media
Feb 3, 2026
Two journalists trace twenty years of Australian media change with stories about breaking into TV and the shift from print prestige to social platforms. They map how platform dependency and concentrated ownership hollow out local reporting. They weigh the rise of independent media and worry about AI flattening traffic and jobs while arguing for stronger public-interest news.
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University Connections Launched Careers
- Antoinette and Jan met at UTS and broke into media via university links and early TV opportunities.
- Antoinette's viral opinion piece and TV panel appearance launched her broadcast career quickly.
Social Media Broke The Old Business Model
- Social media shifted audience attention and ad revenue away from legacy media, breaking its business model.
- That shift prompted newsrooms to scramble and created long-term financial decline for newspapers.
Opinion Clips Built Independent Audiences
- Jan described creating The Front — an online opinion segment that grew her personal audience.
- That clip-based growth showed audiences followed personalities more than institutions.