
AFL Legend Warren Tredrea Interviews Rebekah Barnett to Tackle Media Bias and Covid Narratives
Rebekah Barnett joins AFL legend Warren Tredrea to discuss media censorship, Covid mandates, and the urgent need for honest journalism.
I recently joined Warren Tredrea — or “Tredders,” as he is known to AFL diehards — on his new podcast, Ballsy.
If you don’t know Tredrea, he was, my AFL-obsessed partner tells me, “Port Adelaide’s greatest forward of all time.” After retiring from the game, he went into TV presenting with Nine News, but was unceremoniously sacked for failing to get the Covid shots, and for his public opposition to mandates more generally. He took Nine to court for unfair dismissal, and lost.

“Port Adelaide’s greatest forward of all time,” Warren Tredrea.
Ballsy Conversations the Media Won’t Touch
Now, Tredrea is back with a new podcast that promises more of the kind of conversations that weren’t welcome or tolerated in his former mainstream media career — authentic, fearless, and topical, regardless of the potential for controversy.
I joined Tredrea for episode four of the podcast, Ballsy, following earlier guests Senator Gerard Rennick, chef Pete Evans, and comedian and criminal lawyer Corey White.
For me, these kinds of interviews are a nice opportunity to share a bit more about how I think about the world and why — aspects I rarely get into on Substack, which I keep for news reporting and topical commentary rather than dear-diary blog entries.
Show Notes
In this episode of The Ballsy Show, Warren Tredrea sits down with independent journalist Rebekah Barnett, a fearless voice challenging the mainstream narrative. Known for her relentless pursuit of truth, Rebekah shines a light on what legacy media won’t touch — stories of censorship, propaganda, and the real human cost of policies pushed without question. We explore Rebekah’s journey from everyday Aussie to frontline investigative journalist, and unpack why independent media is now the last bastion of real journalism. Together, we expose how the media abandoned its duty to tell both sides of the story during COVID, and the dangerous consequences of silencing dissent. We also tackle:
- The role of elite athletes and public figures in endorsing medical treatments and the ethical questions that raises
- How journalistic integrity crumbled under pressure during the pandemic
- Why her GP knew what the right thing was to do, but didn’t
- Being forced to go inwards for the answers
- Warren’s first-hand experience with newsroom censorship, and what finally made him speak out
This one’s for the thinkers, the questioners, and the courageously curious.
___
Republished with thanks to Dystopian Down Under. Originally titled ‘New podcast with footy great Warren Tredrea’.
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Absolutely brilliant reporting again on Covid 19. Thank you Rebekah