​Matildas captain Sam Kerr has used the limelight from her side’s 3-2 comeback win over Brazil to expose the homophobic attacks that her team receives.

The star striker provided Australian sport with a fresh iconic battle cry after their success in Montpellier: "There was a lot of critics talking about us but we’re back, so suck on that one."

Following up with a similarly impassioned "we don’t listen to the haters", Kerr’s authenticity showed the mood of the moment inside the Matildas' dressing room.

In camp, the Matildas have made known their distaste for opinions that linked their capitulation against Italy to the tumultuous coaching switch from Alen Stajcic to Ante Milicic.

To understand the Matildas as subordinate to a coach is to misread the room; the Australian national women’s football team has always been a player-led environment.

They have continued to express, to some deaf ears, they were happy under Milicic and buying into his game plan.

But the morning after their ‘miracle in Montpellier’, Kerr took aim at a new class of hater; the trolls and the homophobes.

The 25-year-old screen-captured one example of abuse, Tweeting it alongside a message: "For people getting upset about there being ’no’ haters".

Several in the Matildas camp are 'out and proud'. Others keep their private lives private, as is their right.

Kerr made no secret of her long-term partner, club teammate Nikki Stanton, but she’d never made a coming out splash.

That is, until a Nike-commissioned advertisement landed two months ago in which she talked lovingly of Stanton, their life together, and the American's unwavering support as she recuperated from a knee injury.

“No, it wasn’t (my big 'coming out' moment). It was the first time publicly talking about it," she told AAP.

"It was just a small part of the story and everyone kind of latched on to that part and I was like, 'I didn't even think about that’.

“If I was to have a coming out moment, I guess it would be like that, really subtle. But everyone thought it was kind of cool, because it just happened subtly and organically, naturally."

Chloe Logarzo, voted player of the match in Australia’s 3-2 stunner over Brazil, is another Matilda that makes no bones about her sexuality.

But equally, she didn’t kick up a fuss when trailblazing teammate Michelle Heyman was labelled the only publicly gay member of Australia’s 2016 Olympic team.

She watched Kerr’s video with a grin from ear to ear.

"It's really lovely. It's nice to to see it happen, people being comfortable in their own skin." she told AAP.

"People were very worried about how they were going to be viewed as footballers and as humans.

“Now that gay marriage has been legalised, maybe everyone is getting their head around it."

The Matildas stand in stark contrast with the many male professional teams across the codes, which boast a grand total of zero openly gay members.

“We reflect society … there’s different types of people," Kerr said.

"Michelle was really proud and out there. I am who I am.

"That's the cool part about it. People get to see real people in this team."

Kerr said playing with the Matildas helped her come to grips with her sexuality.

“When you're growing up, and you're questioning 'am I gay or not?', these girls helped me go through
that moment,” she said.

"It's a really cool and welcoming place and that's what we want our fans to feel."

Judging by the fan mail, Matildas supporters are feeling that in droves.

The team is regularly cited as the country’s most popular sporting outfit and as role models, for their attitudes as much as their ability.

Logarzo said their 'no judgment' mantra brought her in touch with fans and young players seeking support.

"The amount of people that message me to get some advice because they're a bit lost in their lives. It's really nice,” the 24-year-old said.

"I try and message everyone that I possibly can because for me, I really just want to help.”
Logarzo has learned when to forward on fans to the appropriate services for intervention, and when she can help personally.

"The legacy that I want to leave is helping any young girl believe in themselves and really be comfortable in themselves,” she said.

"It's amazing to be able to be a role model for someone because I guess when we were growing up there wasn't really that many female athletes like me that you can really look up to. For me, that's a massive thing.

​"Especially with someone where they can't feel comfortable enough to tell their own family."

Australians love Kath & Kim and Gruen but industry experts warn the next big Aussie television hit is in danger of never being made.

Streaming networks flooding into the country have no requirement to show Australian content, but they compete with local networks employing thousands of people.

Industry heavyweights warn Australian talent will disappear overseas and streaming networks will be flooded with cheap, foreign TV shows unless changes are made.

It comes as the ABC - the incubator for some of Australia's most successful comedies and dramas - handles significant budget cuts to light entertainment.

"It's not a level playing field at the moment, because the networks have to commission a percentage of local content and the streaming services don't," Nick Murray, managing director of production company CJZ, told AAP.

But those overseas streaming networks - including Netflix, Amazon, YouTube Premium and the forthcoming Disney+ and WarnerMedia services - are pulling in strong subscriptions from Australians while heavily using the publicly-funded NBN.

Kevin Whyte - whose companies produce shows like Please Like Me, Hard Quiz and Rosehaven - said talented Australians will go overseas if changes aren't made.

"(We're) absolutely seeing it now," he told AAP.

"Australians are really good at making television shows. It's not just the industry, it's also the fact that our country is bloody good at this stuff and our people get lured away.

"We could be creating world-beating programs written by Australians, produced by Australian hands, and sold to the world and the profits and success of that could come back and be reinvested here."
Under current rules, free-to-air networks have to show 55 per cent Australian content from 6am to midnight.

Pay TV networks like Foxtel have to calculate what they spend on foreign dramas and spend 10 per cent of that figure on Australian-produced dramas.

That's the model the industry feels can work with streaming networks, with Canada already putting similar rules in place.

"There needs to be an enforceable quota system for streaming services," Mr Murray said.

"Most of the industry is in lock step on that particular position and we wouldn't be the only country in the world doing it."

Roy Morgan Research estimates more than 11 million Australians have access to Netflix, which recently opened its Australian office in a co-working space in Sydney.

The other issue is the ABC, which is facing more cuts.

"What everyone misses is that money isn't coming out of news and current affairs and the areas that annoy the coalition politicians," Mr Murray said.

"Those cuts that are already biting now are coming out of the high-rating shopfront areas of the ABC, which include their light entertainment and factual slate.

"We make Gruen ... the ABC doesn't have enough resources to commission other shows like that at the moment.

"The ABC's entertainment and factual budget would be less than the budget of MasterChef."

Mr Whyte said the ABC was crucial to the film and television industry, which employs tens of thousands of people.

"I think the screen industry is going to be screwed if the funding cuts continue the way they are," he said.

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher was unavailable for an interview but his office responded to questions about content streaming regulations and the ABC.

"The government will continue to explore options to provide Australian audiences with ongoing access to stories that reflect a sense of Australian identity, character and cultural diversity on a wide range of platforms, including (streaming video on demand) services," he said in a statement.

​He said the ABC would get $3.2 billion in funding over the next three years, including $43.7 million to support local news and current affairs.

A look ahead on what trends in the media we can predict: 
​

1. Reputational fallout from the royal commission, not just from banks but the broader private sector. It will be interesting to see how big corporations not only conduct business but also how that informs their external communications and reputation management?

 

1. Aged Care royal commission looks set to dominate next year’s headlines following on the focus of responsible conduct and reputational damage.

 

1. Obviously, there’s been some big changes in the Australian media landscape with the merger of Nine and Fairfax – we will wait to see how that impacts the broader media and communications industry.

 

1. 2018 was a controversial year for Facebook regarding data privacy and manipulation. Facebook has since tightened access to user data, but we would expect to see a greater focus on the social responsibility of social media platforms to ensure that activity on their platforms is ‘above board’. This is a marked shift from the Facebook of yesteryear that could do no wrong. We’re also becoming more accustomed to viewing social media, particularly Facebook, as a news platform in addition to a social platform – but with that comes responsibility!

​

1. The federal election will be held early this year and is already attracting media attention. We are watching closely as, depending on the nature of political campaigning and policy announcements, we could see clients wanting to focus on particular topics and how policies and public sentiment impacts their organisation.

With the volatility in news these are only just the tip of the iceberg of major news events and topics that will come about throughout the year.  

Keeping track of all the trends and changes to social media platforms is an exhausting task, but necessary when the accuracy of media and news analysis depends on it. When we heard about a trend where social media users deliberately avoid using keywords or names in their conversations - Voldemorting, we decided to find out more about it so we (and you!) could factor it into our work.

What is it?
Voldemorting is essentially when an individual or a group deliberately avoid using certain words or phrases as a tactic to hide or silence a topic. This extends to pseudo-anonymity - the trend of users using false names on social media. 

Why is this occurring?
On social media, we’re aware that our communication is often public and persistent, so we develop strategies to reconcile the different aspects of ourselves, our lives, and our personalities. Hiding behind a digital mask gives many the power to spread false news and stories without immediate retribution. 

Implication on news/journalism?
Keyword and sentiment analysis might be able to tell us about communication patterns in broad strokes, but it’s incredibly difficult to factor in all the nuances of tone, sarcasm, cultural references, in-jokes, and play. Voldemorting, or deliberately avoiding a particular name or keyword, is a tactic that politically hides or silences a topic.

With news being on a continuous cycle, it can be hard to plan out news stories and stay ahead of the game. However, there are several events across the year that newsrooms plan ahead for. We've compiled a list of some of these events around Australia: 

Politics
- NSW State Election 
- Federal Budget Announcement 

Sports
- Australia Open 
- State of Origin 
- City2Surf 
- Melbourne Cup
- Spring Racing Carnival
​- Formula 1 Grand Prix 
- AFL & NRL Grand Final 

Entertainment
- Logie Awards 
- Vivid Sydney 
- Mardi Gras Festival 
- Fashion Week Australia 
- International Comedy Festival 
- Australian of the Year 

Charitable & Health Focused Events
- Mothers Day Classic 
- Red Shield Appeal 
- Jeans for Genes Day 
- Worlds Greatest Shave

Anniversaries 
- Remembrance Day 
- Reconciliation Day 
- ANZAC Day 
- Australia Day