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Have you ever wondered how this newsletter comes into being? It lands in your inbox every day as a neat package: a short editorial followed by a dozen or so articles written by academics on everything from health and science to politics to the environment or arts. For you it is a fait accompli. For me, it’s a smouldering battlefield: all I can see are the traces of skirmishes and debates, compromises, mistakes, and missed opportunities.
Perhaps I should begin at the beginning. Each day at The Conversation starts with an editorial conference. We discuss the news of the day and think about how academics can shed light on it. The US Supreme Court is going to make a decision on the legality of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Do we have a legal expert who can explain the issues at stake? Would it be better to find a business expert to talk about the global economic impacts? Or perhaps someone to write about geopolitics? Maybe all three? Or something else?
Once the initial story list is drawn up, editors start contacting academics. Sometimes we interview academics on the phone and post the article within a few hours. Some articles are filed the same day. Others, like our Walkley-shortlisted multimedia explainer on how to spot a rip.
Once the draft arrives the real work starts, by which I mean the arguing. Does the headline accurately reflect the key thrust of the article? Does it grab your attention? How do we know this claim is true? Could it be better expressed? Is the author happy with the headline and the picture? Is there another way to do this?
In this way we crawl, crablike, toward a refined final product, one that we hope is improved by the rigours of editing. But some of what we do is mere guesswork, because a key ingredient is missing: you.
We produce all our articles for you, our reader. Every editorial decision is made in your name, but most of the time you aren’t in the room with us to tell us what you want. That’s why we have created our Your Say section, and it’s been a delight in recent months to see a range of insightful comments from readers.
The other important way we invite you into the room is via our annual reader survey. It takes only 5-10 minutes to complete, and it provides invaluable guidance about what matters the most to you. Please help us by taking a few minutes today to fill out the survey: your feedback matters, and you might even help to settle some arguments.
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Misha Ketchell
Editor-in-chief
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Dennis Altman, La Trobe University
The British royals are no strangers to scandals – and they are likely to be able to manage this one.
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Andreas Schloenhardt, The University of Queensland
The stolen jewellery includes well-known pieces that are easily recognisable, which will make it difficult to sell on the black market.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Whether the US ambassador should resign is the latest point of dispute – not to mention a total overreaction.
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Ben Spies-Butcher, Macquarie University; Adam Stebbing, Macquarie University; Alistair Sisson, Macquarie University; Kristian Ruming, Macquarie University; Shaun Wilson, Macquarie University
New research shows older voters believe immigration is crunching housing supply, while young voters blame high interest rates and low wage growth.
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Luke Heemsbergen, Deakin University
The internet long ago extended cruelty beyond the school gate and into bedrooms and group chats. The powers of AI extend this reach.
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Paul Crosby, Macquarie University
The album was released in dozens of different formats. Other artists have done this before, but rarely at this scale or with such an intense response from fans.
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Melanie Saward, The University of Queensland
Just three Aboriginal writers appeared in Radio National’s poll. There was little sense of the breadth and creativity of our First Nations writing scene.
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Olaf Meynecke, Griffith University
Australian scientists have noticed a rise in the number of whales getting stuck in ropes and fishing lines. Rescuing them is a job for experts.
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Politics + Society
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Kinda Alsamara, The University of Queensland; Eleanor Gordon, Monash University; Elliot Dolan-Evans, Monash University
Women have won just six seats so far in the new 210-member parliament. This is not surprising considering how few were permitted to vote or stand as candidates.
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Adam Simpson, University of South Australia
Sanae Takaichi has voiced anti-immigrant policies at a time when Japan’s population continues to fall, threatening economic stagnation.
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Health + Medicine
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Susan Davis, Monash University; YuanYuan Wang, Monash University
Testosterone is widely promoted as an essential part of menopausal hormone therapy to treat low mood, brain fog and low energy. But new research challenges this.
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Lauren Manning, La Trobe University
Studies show women are twice as likely as men to have irritable bowel syndrome.
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Environment + Energy
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Elizabeth Steell, University of Cambridge; Alan Tennyson, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa; Nic Rawlence, University of Otago; Pascale Lubbe, University of Otago
New Zealand’s ancient bowerbird was smaller and more slender than the species living in Australia and New Guinea today.
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Andrew Blakers, Australian National University; Harry Armstrong-Thawley, Australian National University; Timothy Weber, Australian National University
Snowy 2.0 will bring something genuinely new to Australia’s electricity system: large and long-lasting energy storage.
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Science + Technology
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Mary-Anne Williams, UNSW Sydney
We are not ready for AI more intelligent than ourselves. Here’s why.
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Mike Archer, UNSW Sydney; Blake Dickson, UNSW Sydney; Helen Ryan, Western Australian Museum; Julien Louys, Griffith University; Kenny Travouillon, Western Australian Museum
Australia doesn’t have any ‘kill sites’. In fact, there’s no hard evidence people hunted the megafauna.
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Violet Chae, The University of Melbourne; Daniel Feuerriegel, The University of Melbourne; Tijl Grootswagers, Western Sydney University
How tasty is it? How healthy is it? Our brains work this out faster than conscious thought.
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Arts + Culture
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Catherine Speck, University of Adelaide
The 2025 Tarnanthi Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander at the Art Gallery of South Australia is titled Too Deadly.
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Timothy McKenry, Australian Catholic University
‘He is the sovereign master of his piano; he knows all its resources; he makes it speak, moan, cry, and roar under fingers of steel,’ wrote one critic at the time.
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Books + Ideas
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Kate Crowley, University of Tasmania
There is no creeping conservatism about the octogenarian Bob Brown. In his new book, he evokes the great tradition of non-violent political action.
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Great big holes
"Americans like to say they have the world's best democratic system with all the safeguards, the 'perfect' declaration of independence, constitution, etc. The last 10 months have unequivocally highlighted how fragile it all is; how easy it is to shoot great big holes through it all. And that starts at the political shambles known as the US Supreme Court."
Alan Lander
A much-needed shakeup
"For decades, universities didn't see themselves as institutions that were in need of reform. Multiple incidents have shown this is not the case. Having obtained qualifications from three major Australian universities over three decades, I have seen firsthand the negative changes. The university experience in 2025 is a far cry from that of the 1980s."
Charles Latimer
Where to for the Libs
"I’m not a Liberal voter but Tony Abbott makes good points as to the way for the Liberals to move forward. The Liberals are at their lowest ebb and will become irrelevant unless they can invigorate themselves with bold new policy initiatives."
Tom Filipcevic
We'd love to hear from you. You can email us with your thoughts on our stories and each day we'll publish an edited selection.
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