Science
Image: Shutterstock

Power, pollution and public trust: navigating the perils of the data centre boom

Hundreds of diesel generators already back up Melbourne’s data centres, and Victoria’s new rules won’t reach them. At a University of Melbourne forum, four researchers examined the costs of Australia's growing data centre industry. Preeshita Shah reports.

Report by Preeshita Shah

Welcome to
The Citizen

We publish independent news, features and analysis.

Our reporters are students in the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism and Master of International Journalism programs, and our editors are experts drawn from the Centre for Advancing Journalism and industry.

LATEST NEWS

Sport
Photo by Yue Wang.

With superstar ex-Melbourne Tiger Yang Shuyu gone but not forgotten, will her fans stick around?

Story by Yue Wang

Politics
Photo by Gwen Liu

University of Melbourne walkout as talks stall on pay and conditions

Report by Preeshita Shah

Politics
Photo by Fatemeh Mirjalili

Industrialised deception: Craig Silverman on AI and the evolution of online disinformation

Words by Preeshita Shah

Politics
Photo: Preeshita Shah

‘We are going to be the next voters’: the students striking against One Nation

Story by Preeshita Shah

Politics
Photo: Preeshita Shah

Last in, first out: Victoria’s newest teachers are walking out before they’ve settled in

Story by Preeshita Shah

Sport
Image: Aish Ravi

Experts and players fear football fever may be fleeting

Story by: Grace Gooda Luisa Bonazzoli

Business
Image: Anna Raimondi

The Richmond relic where video rentals pay the rent

Story by: Anna Raimondi

Politics
Image: Matt Melia

Homeless Persons Union accuses Melbourne council of ‘criminalising poverty’

Story by: Matt Melia

Long Reads

Health
Photo by Wanying Ou

From entertainment to dependency: AI fortune-telling and the emotional shifts of some young people

Story by Wanying Ou

Health
Photo: August Mikleus

The Wait for Application 1754: Will Gender-Affirming Surgeries Ever Go on Medicare?

Story by August Mikleus

Health
Image supplied

NDIS denying critical support to many Australians with disabilities

Story by: Zoe Eyles

Society
Image: Claudia Goundar

Speaking your mind: How language unlocks personality

Story by: Claudia Goundar

Video, audio and photo stories

Environment
Image: Chi Zhang and Zhaolin Chen

Call for greater awareness after hiker deaths

Video report by: Chi Zhang Zhaolin Chen

Society
Image: Andrzej Nowak/Pixabay

AI-generated voices threaten creative industry

Video report by Kristina Bai

Society
Image: Zhenpeng Li and Runru Li

The Chinese diver building a ‘marine community’ in Melbourne

Video report by: Zhenpeng Li Runru Li

Business
Image: Ruijie Tang & Peiyao Xu

Taxi trial tension at Melbourne Airport

Video report by Ruijie Tang Peiyao Xu 

Stories you may have missed

Culture
Image: Miao Chen

Bold new artwork rethinks gender bias in Chinese writing

Story by: Miao Chen

Health
Image: Supplied by Monash University

New clinical trial treating depression with psychedelics

Story by: Sophie Sewell

Society
Image: shitspace.xyz

Upstart journal skewers stodgy scholarship

Story by: Junfei (Verna) Du

Society
Image: Harry Robertson

Renewed push to dump Melbourne’s ‘boring’, ‘clumsy’ flag

Story by: Harry Robertson

Gone Feral: Spotlight on invasive species with Cosmos Online

Projects
Image: Unsplash

Trout are a prized catch for anglers, but experts warn these ‘freshwater rabbits’ threaten native fishes

Story by Brendan Kearns

Projects
Image: Shutterstock

Elegant and devastating, feral deer stir passions as they chomp through ecosystems and farmland

Story by James Worsfold

Science
Image: National Fire Ants Eradication Program

Fire ants are on the march – and you’ll know all about it when you get bitten

Story by Filment Ho

Projects
Image: Shutterstock

When the cat’s away: Time’s up on roaming moggies, experts say

Story by Charlotte Walkling