AFP asked journalists for fingerprints and was planning further raid on News Corp
The ongoing story of the Australian Federal Police raids on journalists and newsrooms has taken another turn with the ABC revealing Dan Oakes and Sam Clark, the journalists named in the warrant for the raids on the broadcaster’s Sydney newsroom, were approached by the AFP ahead of the raids and asked for finger and palm prints.
It was also revealed overnight that News Corp was informed by the AFP of a raid on its Sydney offices, planned for June 6, which never eventuated.
ABC journalist John Lyons, who live-tweeted the raids on the newsroom in June, revealed in a story published yesterday that both Oakes and Clark were written to by the AFP ahead of the raids with requests for their finger and palm prints.
What on earth is John Lyons making a fuss about. When police are investigating a crime, innocent people’s fingerprints are routinely taken. Is Lyons suggesting that people who call themselves journalists are above the law?
No crime has been proven to have occurred, so why should fingerprints be required? It is the Government, the police and the Special Forces who consider themselves above the law by concealing alleged war crimes and by criminalising whistleblowers and the media doing their job of actual reporting of serious issues that are most definitely in the public interest.
Ex-ABC my arse; current Liberal Party brown shirt more like.