‘It really is.’ Cooper chews his lip thoughtfully. ‘Serial has really paved the way—it had, like, millions of people downloading episodes the second they dropped. The stuff they’ve ended up finding out is amazing. Plus, podcasts are more user-friendly than print. People can consume them while they’re out and about, which is cool.’

Irritation rolls up and down Oli’s body. Trust the exec team to throw money at something new rather than invest in their flagship product. Plus, if podcasts are going to be a major part of the media landscape, they need to be done properly, with rigour, and led by someone with the experience to craft the right narrative. The last thing the industry needs is hundreds of kids like Cooper running around with their smartphones, broadcasting god knows what to anyone who will listen. She tries to convey her point without being completely dismissive. ‘I’m sure for some stories podcasts are great, but they’re not trustworthy like print.’

He scrunches up his nose. ‘Maybe not yet, but they’re getting there.’

‘And they don’t get published regularly enough,’ she adds. ‘Not like the paper which is delivered every day, no matter what.’

‘They could be if we changed the business model. Plus, do you ever wonder what the benefit is of people knowing stuff as it happens? I mean, they didn’t used to, and it’s not like the general public do anything with most of the information we publish.’

Her eyes bulge incredulously. ‘We need to present the facts and get the information into the public sphere as quickly and accurately as possible. It’s the most important logistics job in the world.’

‘Agree to disagree!’ Cooper singsongs just as his laptop pings. ‘Sent!’ He grins and cracks his knuckles. ‘I can relax now.’

Oli raises an eyebrow and tries to calm down—this kid is really pushing her buttons. ‘Hardly. We’re just getting started.’ They reach the shopping strip, and she steers the car in a wide arc, parking in front of a bright-red Australia Post letterbox. ‘You can wait here, if you like?’ She grabs her wallet and swings the door open.

‘Are you kidding me?’ He shoves his array of equipment into his backpack and scrambles after her.

The supermarket is tiny, more akin to a milk bar, with three aisles of packaged goods and a modest but fecund fruit and vegetable section. Jaunty music plays from a dusty speaker on the wall. The front counter features two small stacks of newspapers, and on the front cover of Melbourne Today is a shot of John O’Brien’s arrest back in March, with TJ’s by-line visible under the headline: ‘GUILTY,’ SAYS FORMER COLLEAGUE.