When we speak of media freedom, we generally mean it in terms of freedom from unnecessary legal restrictions, so journalists and their sources are not threatened with prosecution for exposing the misdeeds of governments. But yesterday’s announcement by Meta (Facebook’s parent company) that it will stop paying for Australian news content poses a different kind of threat to media freedom….
Having access to quality, unbiased news is extremely important, as both a sign of media freedom and to keep the public properly informed. However, with Facebook’s parent company, Meta’s, refusal to pay for news content on its sites in Australia, ending its deals with publishers this year, Australian journalism stands to lose a valuable stream of income as well as…
In 2019, the New York Times declared that “Australia may well be the world’s most secretive democracy”. The Times published the piece shortly after the Australian Federal Police raided journalists from two news organisations, searching for evidence of sources for stories that were embarrassing to the government. Four years on, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus today released a comprehensive review of secrecy…
David McBride’s lawyer, Mark Davis, spoke to Radio National this morning to discuss the concerning developments in his current case. His team were denied the opportunity to present evidence to the court which forced David to alter his plea to guilty. The Alliance for Journalists Freedom is highly concerned with the development of this case. As advocates for press freedom…
It’s more than eight years since the heady days that followed my release from Egypt on terrorism charges back in 2015. At the time, I was hugely relieved to be at home, in a country that seemed committed to media freedom. You’ll appreciate that after Egypt, that mattered a lot to me. As the dust settled, I began to think…
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Gaza-Israel war has been the deadliest conflict for media workers since the organisation began counting statistics in 1992. At the time of writing, the committee said at least 39 journalists and media workers had been killed in the month since the war began. Reporters Without Borders put the number slightly higher at…
Editor: Shahirah Hamid Commissioning Editor, 360info Southeast Asia Newsrooms are still fighting to honour press freedom despite government pressure, competition with social media platforms and declining trust in the media. It has been 30 years since the UN General Assembly proclaimed 3 May as World Press Freedom Day. The proclamation marks a significant step to allow a free press and…
The Metaverse, AI and web3 are on the rise. What could this mean for innovation in journalism?