Secrets We Keep

Once police received the tip-off that exposed Dezi Freeman’s hideout, they moved in — quietly. For seven days, officers hid in dense bushland, watching the remote property, waiting for the moment to strike. They knew Freeman had already evaded capture once. If he ran again, they might not get a second chance. 7NEWS journalist Michael Usher and Crime Editor Cassie Zervos take you inside the high-stakes surveillance, the planning behind the takedown, and the risks facing officers on the ground, as they closed in on one of Australia’s most wanted fugitives. Dezi Freeman: The Hunt is a 7NEWS and LiSTNR co-production. Listen to the podcast on Secrets We Keep or watch the vodcast on 7Plus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Secrets We Keep: Uncovered, filmmaker Kristo Langker takes us inside the long-running conflict between Indonesia and West Papuans.  Embedded with fighters from the West Papua Liberation Army, a small armed independence movement that has been battling Indonesian security forces for decades, Kristo travelled to a remote mountain village where the Indonesian military was allegedly bombing indigenous communities with high-tech explosives and drones.  He gathered evidence of these extreme measures right on Australia’s doorstep and smuggled it back to confront a multi-billion-dollar weapons manufacturer about its role in the bloodshed.  Got any tips? Email us at secretswekeep@sca.com.au. Credits:  Reporter/Host: Joey Watson Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco Sound Design: Matt Curry and Matt Nikolic Fact check: Madeline Larsen  Head of Factual: Clair Weaver See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For years, flatmates Wendy and Ellie trusted James. He joined Wendy’s animal rights advocacy group, quickly becoming one of her closest friends — and Ellie’s boyfriend. But James wasn’t who they thought. He was an undercover cop, deployed to spy on them. Part of a secretive UK operation now known as Spy Cops, James was one of many officers who infiltrated activist and protest groups, forming intimate and sexual relationships with their targets -sometimes for years- leaving a trail of betrayal and heartbreak behind. In this two-part tell-all interview, Wendy and Ellie take us through a 17-year-long deception so cruel that it's almost impossible to comprehend. Got any tips? Email us at secretswekeep@sca.com.au. If this episode raises issues for you, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1322 46 36. Credits:  Host: Joey Watson Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco Sound Design: Matt Curry Head of Factual: Clair Weaver See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When BBC's Newsnight journalist Emily Maitlis interviewed Prince Andrew, Buckingham Palace was hoping for redemption. Instead, what they got was disastrous interview that shook the British monarchy, spelled the downfall of Prince Andrew and catapulted a global scandal that still reverberates today.  In this episode of Uncovered, Emily Maitlis takes us behind the scenes, through the negotiations, careful strategy, and extraordinary moments, as she confronted the now former prince over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the allegations of trafficked victim Virginia Giuffre.  What was meant to be a controlled PR exercise instead became a global reckoning, exposing the limits of truth, power and privilege; triggering a call for accountability. Emily Maitlis is appearing at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center in an event hosted by the Wheeler Center on the 5th of March. She'll also be speaking at the All About Women Festival in Sydney on the 8th of March. Got any tips? Email us at secretswekeep@sca.com.au.  Check out The Weekend Briefing's interview with Emily Maitlis here: https://play.listnr.com/podcast/the-briefing/episode/meet-the-journalist-who-brought-down-prince-andrew Credits:  Host: Joey Watson Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco Fact Check: Madeline Larsen Sound Design: Matt Nikolic Head of Factual: Clair Weaver See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Christchurch terrorist has returned to court, seeking to overturn his guilty plea for the 2019 mosque attacks that killed 51 people. He argues that the extreme isolation of a “prison within a prison” inside New Zealand’s most secure facility left him psychologically incapable of making rational decisions when he pleaded guilty. How likely is a judge to grant his request? And what would reopening this case mean for survivors and the families of the victims? Secrets We Keep: Lone Actor host Joey Watson joins The Briefing's Sacha Barbour Gatt for a deep dive into the real motivations that lie behind the terrorist's legal battle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To bring down a violent neo-Nazi group, former FBI undercover agent Scott Payne had to become someone else. It was a mission that demanded more than surveillance. He infiltrated a neo-Nazi hate camp and, to prove loyalty, he had to partake into strange rituals, even sacrificing a goat. In this interview, Payne takes us inside the mechanics of extremist recruitment, the psychology of hate, and the perils of going deep cover. Got any tips? Email us at secretswekeep@sca.com.au.  Credits:  Reporter/Host: Joey Watson Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco Fact Check: Holly Mitchell Sound Design: Matt Nikolic Head of Factual: Clair Weaver See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Australia geared up to join the United States in the Iraq War, then intelligence analyst Andrew Wilkie faced an ethical crossroads: the government’s claims to justify the war were untrue.   In this interview, the now independent MP speaks candidly about whistleblowing against the official narrative and what it means to challenge power in the lead-up to war. Got any tips? Email us at secretswekeep@sca.com.au.  Credits:  Reporter/Host: Joey Watson Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco Fact Check: Holly Mitchell Sound Design: Matt Nikolic Head of Factual: Clair Weaver See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.