Crikey’s media columnist Chris Warren recently noted the special challenge of reporting the pandemic: state premiers and chief health officers now deliver the daily news. The journalists? Well, not so much.

Of course there are exceptions, but it is a fair point. Who tells you the numbers? The premier. Who puts a bit of meat on the bone? The chief health officer and occasionally the health minister. Who gives you the rest of the news? The top cop.

So the challenge for journalism is to provide more than just the stenography. That’s certainly what we’ve been trying to do at Crikey — to get behind this incredible, multi-headed story. Today’s Crikey Weekender is a selection of what I’m getting at, fresh angles on the pandemic from Crikey’s reporters and columnists. And you’ll find a few non-COVID articles too. Because as always there are plenty of other things going on.

MICHAEL BRADLEY and EMMA JOHNSEN 5 minute read

The Olympics and other sporting bodies are pushing nonsensical and outdated gender binaries, and athletes aren't the only ones paying the price.

CAM WILSON 3 minute read

The outgoing human rights commissioner criticises governments using the fear of terrorism to justify expanding Australia's surveillance state.

AMBER SCHULTZ 4 minute read

Non-mandatory two-hour sexual harassment training for MPs is lacklustre, offensive and shows how little commitment the government has to addressing workplace culture.

GUY RUNDLE 6 minute read

Boris Johnson has taken a huge risk with his country's health. But his political enemies are too busy fighting among themselves to give him any grief.

MICHAEL BRADLEY 4 minute read

As vile reactions to England's Euro Cup loss spread on and offline, businesses whose employees were found to be racist were once again caught between ethical imperative and their legal obligations.

GLENN DYER 3 minute read

News Corp's 'Knewz' promised it would deliver generous news aggregation from across the political and regional spectrum. Last Friday, News buried Knewz, though few people seemed to notice.

CAM WILSON 4 minute read

With reactions to the draft national curriculum blowing up, reaching a consensus on how to teach children about Australia's past is looking like a testing task.

BERNARD KEANE 3 minute read

The government's immigration goals appear more focused on bringing in wealthy, older non-workers than addressing the needs of an ageing population.

JASON MURPHY 4 minute read

Inflation can be terrifying. Not just for its destructive effect on the purchasing power of our currency, but for its destabilising effect on the national discourse.