Australian governments have long been hostile to media freedom. That’s unlikely to change any time soon
Even if the government was willing to bend on media freedom, the mindset within the public service remains fixed on secrecy and the control of information, argues Denis Muller in this crossposting from The Conversation.
The unprecedented blackout of front pages by Australia’s newspaper publishers this week is a highly significant event in Australian political and media history.
It represents the completion of a deep rupture in the relationship between government and media, which for many decades was marked by a preparedness on the part of the media to take notice of government advice where matters of national security were concerned.
It also represents the first concerted, unified, co-ordinated campaign by the Australian media – outside of wartime, when there were constant rows about censorship – to assert
It defies the prevailing political climate of fear created and sustained by both sides of politics since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on September 11 2001.
Excellent piece Denis.
Your mention of D-Notices reminded me fondly of The Nation Review.
And I know I’d rather have a Hepworth D-Notice than a Dutton D-Notice!
Keep lean and nosy!
C’mon Denis, the real reason for all of this confected outrage is that people who call themselves journalists today are simply too lazy to do proper research and check their facts before publishing a poorly-constructed, one-sided “gotcha” in the tradition of the old Melbourne Truth. Even respected former ABC News head Peter Manning recently bemoaned what he calls “access journalism” writing in the Conversation “There needs to be larger conversation about what constitutes proper public evidence, proper reliable sources and transparency in both.” Instead, so-called journalists and their keepers want the laws weakened so that they alone are “protected” when their inadequacies are revealed.
lol Media have long been hostile media freedom…Julian Assange ring any bells Aust media????