Media execs unite for National Press Club address
David Anderson, Hugh Marks & Michael Miller will address concerns around press freedom.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News
Media executives ABC’s David Anderson, Nine’s Hugh Marks & News Corp’s Michael Miller have put aside any differences to address freedom of the press in a National Press Club address next week.
“Press Freedom: On the Line” will be moderated by the President of the Club, Sabra Lane and be televised on ABC.
The Australian Federal Police raids on the home of News Corporation Australia journalist, Annika Smethurst and on the offices of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation raise serious concerns to press freedom and democracy in Australia.
News Corporation journalist, Annika Smethurst, reported on federal government plans, which proposed giving the Australian Signals Directorate the ability – for the first time – to spy on Australian citizens.
In the ABC’s case, reporters Dan Oakes and Sam Clark, reported on ‘The Afghan Files’ in 2017, which revealed allegations of unlawful killings and misconduct by Australian special forces personnel in Afghanistan.
This is within every Australians right to know what new powers the government was exploring, to enable national agencies to surveil its citizens.
Journalists are bound by their code of ethics to not disclose sources, and to demand they do is asking them to break a covenant recognised the world-over as crucial to uncovering misconduct – when authorities would prefer the public stay in the dark.
Reaction to these raids has unified the media and journalistic community.
In a rare display of media unity, the Chief Executives of the ABC & Nine Entertainment and the Executive Chairman of News Corporation Australasia, appear together at the National Press Club to add their weight to this alarming development by the Australian Government or its agencies.
12:30pm Wednesday, 26 June on ABC.
One Response
This is about intimidating whistleblowers, not censoring the press. In dictatorships, and the US where Obama had 8 and Trump 5 journalists arrested to try and force them to reveal sources who leaked. The first story was about the Government not using the DSD to go after cybercriminals. The second was about an inquiry into stories of war crimes, that hasn’t made any adverse findings yet. McBride’s on leaked information shows there were no details or facts known. The ABC and Fairfax used them mostly to go after Hastie, to try and help the ALP win the election, for which they are now being sued for defamation. Not exactly a massive public interest here.