Podcast
Background Briefing
Hosted by ABC Australia · EN
Background Briefing is the ABC's flagship investigative journalism podcast. Its award-winning investigations and documentaries expose cover-ups, corruption, real-life mysteries, whistleblowing, crime, fraud and miscarriages of justice — often before these stories receive mainstream attention.
The Background Briefing podcast brings you true stories not everyone will want you to hear, told by trusted reporters across Australia.
This Australian podcast makes investigative journalism bingeable. From scams and fraud to schooling and health scandals, tech and social media digs, police exposes and various unsolved cases, each episode of the Background Briefing podcast is a must-listen.
Recent series include:
Hometown Boys exposed how a terrible crime fractured a local community around a local football club.
The Invisible Killer: a forensic investigation into unexplained deaths in aged care after a doctor makes an unusual discovery.
The Favourite: how a schoolyard secret stayed hidden for years.
Stop and Search, which uncovered the mechanics of power and police accountability.
Before and After investigated medical hype, telehealth, body image, cosmetic procedures and consumer risk.
Beef: how small feuds escalate into serious disputes.
37episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
04 Hometown Boys | The Trial
Feb 500:27:00Tap to summarizeAs the criminal trial unfolds, witnesses from Balmoral waver on the stand, and the judge is "taken aback". The courtroom is heaving with supporters of the accused but the verdict is not what they're expecting.
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03 Hometown Boys | The 'Mayoress of Balmoral'
Jan 2600:31:32Tap to summarizeA respected bush nurse with close ties to the accused becomes a key police witness. As the investigation quietly gathers pace, locals start to choose sides and the family of the victim feels ostracised.
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02 Hometown Boys | In the caravan
Jan 1600:32:36Tap to summarizeA 21st birthday party becomes a crime scene, but some locals carry on like nothing’s happened.
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01 Hometown Boys | Welcome to Balmoral
Jan 1600:30:10Tap to summarizeIn this one-street town of 280 residents, there’s an unspoken code: don’t rock the boat, or risk being cast out. Balmoral is a small Victorian town built on tradition, loyalty and knowing your place. For newcomers, the fastest way in is the football club. It’s where friendships are forged and status is earned.
Transcribe →TRAILER — Introducing Hometown Boys
Jan 900:02:15Tap to summarizeWhen a young woman accuses a talented local footballer and his friend of rape, the town reveals where its true loyalties lie. The beating heart of Balmoral, a tiny Victorian town in Australia, is the football club. It’s where children grow up, where families belong and where people learn the cost of rocking the boat. Background Briefing investigates what happens when town pride, sports club culture, and the reputation of a promising young player get in the way of a young woman seeking justice over a terrible crime.
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Long Read | How social media algorithms decide who you are
Dec 2500:23:42Tap to summarizeThis week, Prianka Srinivasan arms herself with a burner phone and a fake name, and sets out to learn how Instagram’s algorithm really works.
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04 Before and After | Behind the sunscreen
Dec 600:35:10Tap to summarizeWhen the founder of a skincare company discovers his zinc sunscreen product potentially isn't achieving the protection it's supposed to, it doesn't take long before he realises the problem is far bigger than he first thought.
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The secret teacher blacklist
Oct 1700:39:47Tap to summarizeKim saw a teacher’s aide laughing at a video of a vulnerable student and reported it to the principal. She had no idea it would come to define the next seven years of her life.
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05 The Favourite - A Day in Court
Oct 1000:32:15Tap to summarizeAfter years of manipulation, Alliyah is determined to see justice done. When Kellie appears in the dock, what will she say? And how will the judge respond?
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04 The Favourite | Full Disclosure
Oct 300:34:54Tap to summarizeAlliyah steps into a police station on the outskirts of Brisbane, and says: “I want to report a crime.” After keeping the so-called relationship with Kellie secret for almost a decade, Alliyah is finally ready to tell their story.
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