What do the media organisations want?
The campaign argues that tougher security laws enacted over the past two decades have threatened investigative journalism, eroding the public's "right to know". Since new counter-espionage legislation was introduced last year, media outlets have lobbied for journalists and whistleblowers to be given exemptions to report sensitive information. This forms part of a list of seven demands put to the government on Monday which also call for reforms to freedom of information and defamation laws.Unusual allies
Jay Savage, Australia editor, BBC News Online You wouldn't typically expect Australian media chiefs to shelve their competitive instincts - if not occasional hostilities - to publish identical messages on their most prized news pages and bulletins. But the police raids had an immediate galvanising effect on the nation's press, stirring them into a co-ordinated response. Some have described the unity as unprecedented. The firms have sought to nullify possible criticisms of self-interest by arguing that Australian society is best served by more open scrutiny. They argue Australia is weaker than comparable democracies at protecting whistleblowers and has unfairly strong defamation laws which effectively silence reporting. Together the outlets wield significant power, but it remains to be seen if their demands will be met.DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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