When exposing corruption puts your life in danger
By Minnie Isaac
Australian political commentator Jordan Shanks, known as Friendlyjordies, has gone media dark after a 2022 firebombing and ongoing death threats. Three years on, no arrests have been made, raising serious concerns about press freedom and police accountability.
Content Advice: this article contains references to violence and threats against journalists.
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“Make an arrest, you cowards.” Jordan Shanks of Friendlyjordies signs off his last video before going completely media dark.
The Sydney-based YouTuber and political commentator’s last threat-induced hiatus lasted four months.
Shanks is the face of the decade-plus old YouTube channel which blends comedy, public commentary, and investigative reporting in Australia.
Although no stranger to upsetting media giants, the threats against Shanks and his team send a clear message to journalists: investigating corruption in Australia can put your life at risk.
The 2022 firebombing and NSW Police’s response
After releasing a now removed video in 2022 that alleged links between a major property-group, Coronation Property, and the Alameddine crime network, his Bondi home was firebombed. Since the attack, Shanks has claimed to have received ongoing death threats.
Tufi Junior Tauese-Auelua, alleged by Police to be an associate of the Alameddines was arrested over the 2022 firebombing. He pled guilty to the arson, alongside a previous violent group bashing which left his victim with multiple injuries.
The offences totalled Tauese-Auelua’s sentence to five years in jail. With time already served in custody, he will be released on parole in July, 2027.
Shanks’ lawyer, Mark Davis of XD Law, believes the response from the NSW Police has been insufficient.
“The offender apparently expressed remorse to the court for blowing up Jordan’s home. But not so much remorse it seems to name who ordered him to do it. That might have been more welcome than hollow words of regret,” he said in a statement shared with Cheek.
Shanks is among several of the firm’s high-profile clients, including military whistle-blower David McBride, and journalist Mary Kostakidis, who is under legal attack from the Zionist Federation of Australia for posts made to X last year.
“You would get more attention from New South Wales police if you reported a stolen bicycle,” Davis continued.
“Jordan doesn’t say much about it, but the effects on his lifestyle and movements and those of his staff have been profound. When your house has been blown up and the same people continue to threaten to kill you with impunity for years - you know the state has failed you. He is on his own and acts accordingly.”
Shanks echoed Davis’ frustration towards NSW Police in a recent video. “Very little credit can be given to other journalists and authorities who not only seem ambivalent about properly investigating the firebombing, but downright hostile to any potential action that could threaten to expose those responsible,” he said.
The original attack remains unsolved, and now new allegations involving an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) journalist have added another layer to the story.
Alleged threats towards Shanks from ABC journalist Mahmood Fazal
A Sydney Morning Herald article published on 25 October shared an alleged text exchange between ABC Four Corners journalist Mahmood Fazal and former podcast co-host Ryan Naumenko.
The messages - which Fazal denies are entirely true, claiming some are fabricated, and others out of context - discuss Shanks.
Naumenko alleges that Fazal texted “F*ck Jordies and his people they’re dogs I wanna kill him so bad” and “nah he has to get what he gets he’s a dog ratted me to ‘jacks’ [Police]”.
In a YouTube video posted by Naumenko he claims his falling out with Fazal was over a cash payment for the podcast and ensuing argument.
The situation is still evolving, with Naumenko alerting the public via his Instagram that intruders broke into his home Wednesday, 29 October and assaulted his elderly mother, 70, who was “punched multiple times in the face”.
The three intruders were allegedly armed with machetes, and the police suspect a targeted attack.
If proven true, Davis suggests allegations would raise serious concerns about potential corruption and media integrity at the Four Corners arm of the publicly funded ABC.
“The ABC turns its nose up at reporting what has happened to Jordan and [his team]. Astoundingly they have employed one of the people allegedly conveying the death threats because they appreciate his ‘gangster journalism’,” the lawyer said.
“The rot within the institutions of state that might have protected us from mobsters and criminal gangs and drug money is almost complete.”
Australians want more independent journalism
Funded primarily by Patreon supporters, Shanks was one of the first to demonstrate just how accessible journalism can be in Australia using social media as a sounding board, and with it, the powerful impact it can have.
He is among a growing number of independent voices who are regularly covering topics often considered too taboo or political for mainstream media and public figures, such as the ongoing genocide in Gaza, Australia’s murky involvement with Israel, and just how many of the mainstream media in Australia have enjoyed free trips there as guests of the Israeli government.
Shanks has also collaborated with fellow Australian YouTubers Aleksa Vulović and Alex Apollonov of Boy Boy on major investigative videos, including ‘We Snuck Into a CIA Base in the Aussie Outback’ - which examined claims about Australian intelligence sharing data later used in attacks on Gaza and has amassed over 6.4 million views - and ‘How Much Money Can We Launder in a Day?’, an investigation into potential money laundering risks within Clubs NSW, viewed more than 4.1 million times.
How the public and creators are responding
On Shanks’ last video, thousands of comments and donations poured in to support Shanks and his team.
A top comment with 11,000 likes says “LITERAL multiple death threats and an attempted murder is absolutely insane for ZERO investigative action from authorities, only proves what jordies is saying in the video”
Charles Christopher, an American creator also known by the pseudonym MoistCr1TiKaL has covered the situation multiple times, and his latest video on the topic has gained over 2.6 million views, mainly from international eyes.
A thread posted in r/Australian and r/AusPol reflected a variety of view points, though regardless of their personal feelings towards Shanks and his team, most agreed that his pursuit of anti-corruption journalism should not put his life in danger
“Friendly Jordies is a sh*t head. But he’s done some good stuff. It’s pretty appalling what has happened,” one comment reads.
“Doesn’t matter what you think of him, the fact he’s uncovered some pretty nefarious connections and blatant corruption and his life has been threatened, and attacked and the mainstream media is silent on it because he’s not one of them is alarming. Beyond alarming,” another commenter writes.
What happens next?
Shanks’ team believes that for the situation to be rectified, two clear outcomes are essential.
First, they are calling for the NSW Police to thoroughly investigate all leads and press for the arrests of both the operatives and those who ordered (or financed) the firebombing and threats.
Second, they are urging the ABC’s Four Corners program to launch an independent internal review of the allegations involving journalist Mahmoud Fazal and his interactions with organised-crime figures, to ensure the ABC’s critical contribution to public interest journalism is not tainted by criminal collusion.
Media attention also matters for public safety and accountability, and although the recent Sydney Morning Herald article was described by Shanks as “accurate” in his last upload, it is behind a paywall.
The four-year saga has highlighted the fragility of independent media in Australia – an issue that transcends party lines.
Australians have shown they value anti-corruption journalism, supporting independent outlets like Friendlyjordies, and new players like Ette Media, Lamestream and Deepcut News through crowdfunding and subscriptions.
Now, it’s up to law enforcement and the ABC to prove that journalists’ safety and integrity still matter.
About the author
Minnie Isaac is an Assyrian-Australian writer, content creator, and founder of White Rabbit Social. She’s dedicated to building digital spaces where women can slow down and enjoy beauty content more mindfully, while also sharing resources that support career growth and wellbeing with a focus on safety and accessibility.
Thank you for giving this media attention *and* making it free to access!
Thank you for shining a light on this. The more people talk about Jordies situation the better.