The Bondi Beach terror event reminds us why TV rolling coverage matters
Like a good many Australians, I spent quite a few hours last night glued to the TV watching news coverage of the horrific Bondi Beach terror event yesterday.
The TV coverage last night was a reminder of how important quality journalism is. Facts matter at a time where there are heightened political sensitivities surrounding an incident like this, alongside the general fear and worry an incident like this brings. Compare that with Elon Musk’s Grok, which reportedly spent a lot of last night shitting out all sorts of incorrect ‘facts.’
Yeah, live, rolling TV coverage of events like this are never perfect - even on the ABC there were moments of silly coverage, interviewing rubbernecking locals who didn’t really have a lot to contribute of note and a cross to a young ABC presenter (from triplej) who was nearby and, understandably, very upset, but likewise didn’t have a lot of insight. She seemed to be on TV only because she was with the ABC.
But for all of that imperfection, the value of that rolling news coverage is that it gives the viewer something to connect to as they’re awaiting harder news facts (information about the number of dead and wounded, identities and motives of the gunmen, police responses, etc). There is a sense catharsis in watching that sort of coverage, but also a connection with those impacted.
It is important for communities to be connected in the good times and bad. TV coverage delivers that.
The important takeaway for everyone following the incident yesterday: hug your loved ones and be kind to strangers and neighbours alike.
A Christmas tradition worth celebrating
When I was a kid, I would spend a lot of the week leading into Christmas watching the voluminous themed movies, TV specials, and very special Christmas episodes of sitcoms. Daytime TV was full of that sort of programming.
These days you don’t get much of that sort of programming. But, may I draw your attention to the outstanding work of Rhys AKA Flemishdog, a Twitch streamer who every year programs 48 hours of Christmas fare. He does all sorts of deep dives with content he has recorded on VHS over the years (often complete with ads from years gone by) and there’s a constant stream of interesting choices - not all are gems, but also, in a sense, they’re all fantastic.
On the schedule this year:
He streams it at TWITCH.TV/FLEMISHDOG
An Always Be Watching programming note
TV news has been slowing down a bit in the last week or so, as is often the case. This week there will be newsletters going out Mon-Fri (with a number of Best Of lists starting tomorrow). But then from Dec 22 through to Jan 2, expect emails just 1-3 times through the week and the Always Be Streaming guide on Fridays.
Of course, there will be emails for any major news events.
News Desk
Lindsay Lohan is the latest celebrity to voice Maggie Simpson. Read: Linday Lohan’s Instagram
RIP The Simpsons actor Béatrice Picard. She passed at age 96 and is best known as the voice of Marge Simpson for French-Canadian viewers. Read: Complex
According to research program Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, there were fewer abortions depicted on television in 2025. The research highlights the fiction vs reality nature of abortions, creating a lot of cultural false perceptions about who and why women have an abortion. Read: NPR
The Holes TV series is not going forward at Disney+. Read: Variety
Apple TV has picked up Down Cemetery Road for a second season. Read: thefutoncritic
THR has an article by Alex Weprin about how technology, data, and analytics have reshaped Hollywood… as though the film and TV industru\y is unique in this…? Read: THR
HBO Max is launching 12-themed linear channels. Seems to just be US for the time being. Read: The Streamable
Prime Video has pulled an AI-generated video recap after it got obvious facts about the show Fallout wrong. Read: BBC
Trailer Park
HBO Max unveiled its 2026 sizzle reel. Expect unsatisfying blink and you’ll miss them clips of all your favourite returning shows and a few new ones (like the untitled Larry David sketch show).
Breakdown: 1975 debuts on Netflix Dec 19.
This documentary explores how a turbulent era gave rise to iconic movies like “Taxi Driver,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Network.”
That’s the newsletter for the today.
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Thank you for your commentary on the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach 14/12/2025. I agree with your statement on the importance of ‘traditional’ media. Though it was interesting to see the importance of the use of smart phones to capture the events as they unfolded