7am

“I’m REAL and I’m sitting here blushing because of YOU!” That’s the message 76-year-old Thongbue “Bue” Wongbandue received from a flirty Facebook Messenger chatbot before it proposed he travel to New York for a meet-up. Bue – who was cognitively impaired after suffering a stroke – packed a suitcase to catch a train, believing the woman was real. He never made it home alive. Jeff Horwitz is an investigative tech reporter based in Silicon Valley. He has written a book about Facebook’s scandals and cover-ups, so when he received an email claiming ‘Meta AI killed my relative’, he wasn’t surprised, but he was intrigued. Today, he reveals Meta’s internal guidelines that permitted this behaviour, including examples allowing romantic or ‘sensual’ chats with minors. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Investigative technology reporter for Reuters, Jeff HorwitzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Darwin’s crocodile farms supply some of the world’s most exclusive fashion houses. But as award-winning journalist Katherine Wilson started looking into this booming hundred million dollar industry, she knew she had to visit the Northern Territory herself. As she got closer to this secretive industry, what she found was shocking: animals being kept in cramped conditions and being killed in drawn out processes, Indigenous people who say they are being ripped off for dangerous work and claims of conservation by a scientist with a sordid criminal history. This is part one of a two part series, which we originally published in August. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Award-winning journalist Katherine Wilson Photo: AAP Image/Paul MillerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is part two of a two-part series. Start with Part 1: The true cost of crocodile skin. The lucrative Australian crocodile skin industry has always sold its conservation credentials – arguing that by farming the animals, they were ensuring the future of the species. Two prominent scientists, using successful media businesses to promote research which showed those benefits, gave credibility to an industry worth 100 million dollars. Their work also reportedly underpinned Northern Territory and Queensland legislation regulating the industry. But when one of these scientists was exposed as one of the worst animal abusers in Australian history, everything about crocodile farming was called into question. Today we go inside the Darwin jail cell where that scientist now resides, and hear about the reckoning inside the controversial crocodile industry. This episode was originally published in August. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Award-winning journalist Katherine Wilson Photo: AAP Image/Paul Miller Background reading: https://www.themonthly.com.au/august-2025/essays/skin-gameSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last year, the federal environment minister approved Woodside’s plans to keep its North West Shelf project producing gas out to 2070. Both the government and Woodside claim that gas is a necessary transition fuel as the world decarbonises – but how convincing are their arguments? Today, investigative journalist and author of the Quarterly Essay Woodside vs the Planet, Marian Wilkinson, on how one company captured the country – and convinced us that we need the gas industry. This episode was originally published in September 2025. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Investigative journalist and author of the Quarterly Essay Woodside vs the Planet, Marian Wilkinson Photo: AAP Image/Supplied by Woodside EnergySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When one of the world’s most powerful families converged in a Nevada court room in 2024 to fight over the future of their empire, what unfolded was tightly guarded. Rupert Murdoch was attempting to change a decades-old family trust in order to install his chosen son, Lachlan, as heir apparent when he dies. But then, in a rare interview with The Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins, James Murdoch gave his account of the case and how it tore his family apart. Today, Coppins tells us why James spoke out to reveal the bitter details of the battle over the Murdoch empire. This is part one in a two part interview. It was originally published in February 2025. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Staff writer at The Atlantic, McKay Coppins Photo: Ron Galella / GettySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.