on our partnerships with LGBTQI+ communities and organisations?" ABC tech reporter Ariel Bogle responded by stating that anti-trans talking points are "often intertwined with far-right entities and narratives". The ABC itself issued a statement on the matter, saying "participation in benchmarking indexes has no bearing on content commissioning processes and no influence on editorial content" and "transgender and gender identity issues are complex and require careful editorial judgement to ensure informed reporting without causing offence or undue distress and harm to vulnerable individuals and communities." Cancellation and return Media Watchs ability to generate controversy led to the temporary cancellation of the show. In 2000, Barry was controversially sacked and, in 2001, the program itself was axed by Jonathan Shier, the head of the ABC. However, in early 2002, after Shier was himself sacked in similarly controversial circumstances, the show returned with David Marr as the new host. While Media Watch was off air, former host Stuart Littlemore presented a replacement program, Littlemore, that also examined issues about the media, running for 13 episodes between March and May 2001. Media Bites Starting in 2017 in conjunction with Media Watchs return, a weekly online spin-off series, Media Bites, was created. A new episode is uploaded every Thursday to the program's website, social media outlets, iView and ABC's official YouTube channel, each episode running for about two minutes. Unlike the main show, Media Bites is more casual in presentation, and Barry sits in the production office (not a studio) talking to the camera in a position similar to many online vloggers. Barry is often in more casual clothing using the light source of the office instead of professional lighting. Each episode has the same format, two mini-stories and the week's alternative fact. The mini-stories are in essence a shorter version of the main series in-depth format, introducing the story and explaining the problem. For example, a story where Woman's Day ran an article about Paul Hogan's ex-wife (Noelene Hogan) in which, using a photo of Noelene with her son, the article incorrectly portrays the son as her deceased partner Reg, stating the couple were a "cute pair", only to be corrected by a tweet from a family member. The Alternative Fact of the Week points out an incorrect or baffling titbit, often involving US President Donald Trump. Episodes conclude with a "teaser" for the following episode of the main show. The episodes contain