Saving regional and rural media is going to be a growing conversation in Australia. Here is one example… Photo credit: Unsplash
AJFNovember 8, 2019
The New York Times published a piece by Mark Zuckerberg this week, in which he reinforces the critical role journalism plays in a healthy democracy. "I believe deeply in the social good that journalism provides. Today, it’s more important than ever: We need the news to scrutinize the powerful, reliably document major events and uncover new truths. This makes our…
AJFNovember 1, 2019
Larry King has called on the Morrison government to bring in legislative reforms in line with the AJF's call for a Media Freedom Act, in a recent interview with The Australian. “A strong media is essential to the progress of a country and the wellbeing of a country.” King said. King, who is a titan of the US Media Industry,…
AJFOctober 29, 2019
This article was originally published in The Australian. In the debates on press freedom, a lot of the media’s critics tend to dismiss journalists as pleading for special privileges. “No one is above (the law), including me or anyone else, any journalist or anyone else,” Scott Morrison said, anticipating the Right to Know coalition’s campaign calling for legislative changes to…
Peter GresteOctober 24, 2019
21 October 2019 AJF Media Release: We Need a Meeting of Minds The AJF welcomes the Australia’s Right to Know Coalition (ARTK) campaign for media freedom, which calls on the government to immediately address the lack of transparency damaging our democracy. We support all its campaign aims. This is a critical moment for both the media, the security services, and…
AJFOctober 21, 2019
The Saturday Paper (5th October) published a comprehensive look at how national security laws are impeding journalism. AJF co-founder and spokesperson Peter Greste was asked to contribute. You can view the piece here. Photo credit: AAP/Lucas Coch
AJFOctober 8, 2019
Singapore passed a piece of legislation on Wednesday, which criminalises information deemed "prejudicial" to Singapore's security, public safety, "public tranquility," or to the "friendly relations of Singapore with other countries". There is concern that the broad parameters of this reform will lead to a more restricted press in the country. The power to charge anyone for acting outside the bounds…
AJFOctober 3, 2019
A. G. Sulzberger, Publisher of The New York Times wrote and published the following article on 23 September. It is well worth the read. You can read the article here. "This is a worldwide assault on journalists and journalism. But even more important, it’s an assault on the public’s right to know, on core democratic values, on the concept of…
AJFSeptember 25, 2019
The AJF sent the following letter to Chief Executive Carrie Lam, joining the IFJ's call for the Hong Kong government to ensure press freedom is protected. 9th September 2019 Dear Chief Executive Lam I write as a founding director and spokesman of the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom (AJF), an advocacy group dedicated to defending press freedom across the Asia–Pacific region,…
AJFSeptember 9, 2019
Download the AJF's Submission hereThe Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom made a submission to the Press Freedom Inquiry referred to the Environment and Communications References Committee. The AJF's submission addressed parts a), b), c), e) and f) of the Inquiry Terms of Reference, largely retelling what we recommended prior to the AFP raids, in our White Paper, released on 09 May.The…
AJFSeptember 9, 2019
Amanda Meade explored the role philanthropy plays – and will continue to play – in the rapidly changing landscape of journalism. This piece originally published in The Guardian. AJF's Peter Greste is hosting a panel on press freedom at Sydney Opera House's Antidote Festival, on September 01, with speakers Maria Ressa, Lina Attalah, Irina Borogan and Steve Coll on the…
AJFAugust 22, 2019
Download the AJF's Submission here The Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom made a submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security Inquiry into the impact of the exercise of law enforcement and intelligence powers on the freedom of the press. The AJF's submission addressed items b) and c) in the Inquiry Terms of Reference, and provided multiple recommendations under…
AJFAugust 1, 2019
Press freedom is heavily restricted on mainland China; it now threatens to become an issue in the ongoing demonstrations in Hong Kong. View the NY Times piece here. Photo credit: NY TIMES
AJFJuly 17, 2019
An open letter from MEAA supported by us was published in all major papers on Friday 13 June. The letter urges parliament to make the necessary legislative changes to protect journalists and whistleblowers in their everyday work. We have detailed those much needed changes in our White Paper. Read the letter here. Photo credit: MEAA
AJFJune 15, 2019
The two raids by squads of Australian Federal Police officers on Wednesday sounded horribly familiar. This piece originally published in the Daily Telegraph. Images of them pushing their way into the offices of the ABC and the home of Daily Telegraph journalist Annika Smethurst, warrant in hand, riffling through personal belongings in a search for evidence recalled a night in…
Peter GresteJune 7, 2019
The raid on the ABC shows we need a law to protect journalists and their sources This article was originally published in The Guardian. Democracy is, by definition, government by the people. Politicians act on behalf of those who employ them; that is, us Australian voters and tax-payers. As their employers, we have both a right and a responsibility to…
Peter GresteJune 6, 2019
Raids by the AFP on Australian journalists should concern everyone who cares about independent media This article was originally published in the Daily Telegraph. If ever there was a demonstration of the need for a Media Freedom Act, this is it. The heavy-handed raids this week set a shocking benchmark for diminished press freedom in Australia. It is long since…
Peter WilkinsonJune 6, 2019
In response to the raid of Annika Smethurst's home by the AFP, Chris Flynn, legal spokesperson of the AJF (and Partner at Gilbert + Tobin) can be quoted as follows: “News of the AFP’s raid of Annika Smethurst’s home, mobile phone and computer is deeply concerning to the AJF, and should be to all Australians. In any democracy, journalism that covers…
AJFJune 4, 2019
Download the whitepaper hereThe Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom has released a White Paper that provides seven recommendations for legislative change to strengthen press freedom in Australia. The recommendations include a framework underpinned by a Media Freedom Act that balances press freedom and national security interests, protecting journalists engaged in their work from unwarranted prosecution or civil liability. Each of the…
AJFMay 14, 2019
In response to Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo's release from prison in Myanmar on the 7th of May, The Economist shared a salient piece on why the government's decision to release them, after more than 500 days in prison, is not a sign that attitudes to press freedom are improving in Myanmar. Their release is undoubtedly wonderful…
AJFMay 8, 2019
The Committee to Protect Journalists' Director Joel Simon has written a piece for the Columbia Journalism Review that raises an important and very necessary distinction in the global conversation on press freedom. Published on World Press Freedom Day, Simon discusses the difference between celebrating good journalism and working to protect journalists & press freedom. Both are important, but we can…
AJFMay 4, 2019
This year, on World Press Freedom Day (03 May), TIME have released a list of the 10 most urgent cases of press freedom around the world. View the list here. The AJF would add Maria Ressa, CEO of Rappler in the Philippines, to that list. The AJF is working for media freedom in the Asia-Pacific, so for us–alongside Wa-Lone and…
AJFMay 3, 2019
Listen to the SBS World News Radio interview with Biwa Kwan here: (https://www.sbs.com.au/news/audiotrack/assange-case-matter-press-freedom) Standing before a media scrum in London, Julian Assange’s lawyer Jen Robinson declared that his arrest on Thursday, “set a dangerous precedent for all media and journalists in Europe and around the world.” She said if his extradition were allowed, any journalist could face charges for "publishing…
Peter GresteApril 16, 2019
Human Rights Lawyer Amal Clooney has been appointed by UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt as the Special Envoy for media freedom. This is a critical position to defend democracy and strengthen the free press all over the world. Read more here. Photo credit: Reuters
AJFApril 6, 2019
Mark Zuckerberg recently announced Facebook's intention to launch a new news service. In conversation with Axel Springer CEO's Mathias Döpfner, Zuckerberg discussed the need for this service to enable and strengthen the following: High quality, trustworthy journalism and consideration of the level to which it should or shouldn't be curated; Monetisation, to ensure fairness to publishers, given Facebook is on…
AJFApril 2, 2019
Rappler CEO and executive editor, Maria Ressa, has been arrested again, this time for an alleged breach of the Anti-Dummy Law, which seeks to prevent interference of foreign investors within media entities in the Philippines. Rappler stands by its assertion of independence in this regard. Ressa is expected to post bail shortly, for the second time in 2019. For further…
AJFMarch 29, 2019
The BBC recently announced plans to launch a new organisation to fund local journalism in Britain. Here are some facts about it: The new not-for-profit, set up in conjunction with Google and Facebook, is to be called the Local Democracy Foundation with a remit to report on council meetings, crime, and other local news. Google and Facebook's financial backing of the…
AJFMarch 22, 2019
The Committee to Protect Journalists marks International Women's Day by highlighting the cases of female journalists jailed around the world for doing their jobs. Here are a few of the facts: According to CPJ's recent census, 32 of the 251 journalists currently in jail are women In the Asia-Pacific region, 6 women are imprisoned in China and 2 in Vietnam…
AJFMarch 8, 2019
The head of the United Nations has called on governments and the international community to protect journalists and media workers at a time when attacks on the media have become “the new normal”. Secretary-General António Guterres issued the call to action in a speech to the Association of United Nations Correspondents. In just over a decade, more than a thousand…
AJFFebruary 28, 2019
In a scene right out of a thriller, agents from the Filipino National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) raided journalist and editor Maria Ressa’s Manila office at 5pm on Wednesday February 13, after most courts had closed. They took her from the Rappler newsroom where she is editor, to a police watch house and threw her in a cell. Ressa’s lawyer…
Peter GresteFebruary 22, 2019
Maria Ressa, award winning journalist and CEO of Rappler has been arrested in the Philippines, under the accusation of "cyber libel". Shortly after receiving the arrest warrant, she told CNN reporters "the rule of law has been broken to the point that I can't see it." The grounds for arrest are blurred and the arrest warrant was issued too late…
AJFFebruary 14, 2019
"Journalists need to be the eyes, the ears and the voice for the public... this isn't about holding to account for the sake of it, this is about protecting our democracy." – Peter Greste 2ser 107.3's Tess Connery spoke with Peter Greste this morning to discuss the need for a Media Freedom Act in Australia. Listen to the interview here.…
AJFFebruary 12, 2019
This is the op-ed by Prof. Peter Greste published in The Australian this morning, to start our campaign for a Media Freedom Act. One of the central tenets of a successful liberal democracy is press freedom. As voters, we employ our elected officials to run the government on our behalf, and as with all bosses, we have a right…
Peter GresteFebruary 5, 2019
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s relationship with the press has reportedly fractured and become increasingly complex. According to The Economist, Netanyahu, once the golden boy in the eyes of Israeli media, has created a tangled relationship and then used negative media to his advantage by “playing the victim”, including erecting a billboard of four offending journalists. Read more here. (To read…
AJFFebruary 1, 2019
It has been 1,110 days since Jason Rezaian, then The Washington Post’s bureau chief in Tehran, was released from Iran’s notorious Evin prison. In that time, he has recuperated, studied at Harvard on a fellowship, restarted his life in Washington along with his wife, Yeganeh, and returned to The Post’s headquarters as an opinion writer. For more read the Washington…
AJFJanuary 30, 2019
Buzzfeed is laying off 15% of staff in a bid to turn a profit, reports the NYT. To support the loss making news division, Buzzfeed has introduced businesses like selling cookware at Walmart and a toy store in New York. Read more here. Photo credit: Thomson Reuters
AJFJanuary 25, 2019
How free expression and freedom of the press are under attack in an era of fake news and populism with foreign correspondents Peter Greste and Salil Tripathi.
AJFJanuary 21, 2019
The Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom (AJF) has appointed Olivia Pirie-Griffiths as fulltime Executive Director.
AJFJanuary 17, 2019
A court in Myanmar has rejected an appeal by two reporters of the Reuters news agency, sentenced to seven years in jail for breaking the country's Official Secrets Act, in a case that rallied press freedom advocates. Lawyers for Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, had filed the appeal in November against their conviction, citing evidence of a police set-up and lack of proof of…
AJFJanuary 14, 2019
Journalists in Gambia have launched a self-regulatory body they hope will offer legitimacy, and far more freedom, to media emerging from a dictatorship that ruled the tiny West African nation for more than two decades. During the 22 years of former President Yahya Jammeh’s rule, journalists were regularly abducted, tortured and killed. The new government has vowed new freedoms after…
AJFJanuary 3, 2019
This week the Committee to Protect Journalists released a report that revealed that 53 journalists have died as a result of dangerous work this year. This is the rise from the 2017 figures, which totalled 47 journalist deaths related to their work. The report found that the deadliest country for journalists this year has been Afghanistan. Thirteen journalists were killed,…
AJFDecember 21, 2018
Time Magazine has named a collective of journalists their 'Person of the Year' for 2019. Honourees include murdered journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, imprisoned Reuters journalists U Wa Lone and U Kyaw Soe Oo, Maria Ressa founder of news-startup, Rappler in the Philippines and the staff of the Capital Gazette newspapers in Maryland. The magazine heralds these journalists as guardians of the truth and goes on…
AJFDecember 12, 2018
An insightful article and opinion piece by the New York Times that narrates the gradual decline of media freedom in Hungary after the election of far-right prime minister, Viktor Orban. First, the article. "Hungary’s leading news website, Origo, had a juicy scoop: A top aide to the far-right prime minister, Viktor Orban, had used state money to pay for sizable but…
AJFDecember 4, 2018
In his very last column at The Washington Post, Jamal Khashoggi stressed the importance of press freedom and the lack of action from the international community. "I was recently online looking at the 2018 “Freedom in the World” report published by Freedom House and came to a grave realization. There is only one country in the Arab world that has been…
AJFOctober 19, 2018
The Alliance for Journalist Freedom (AJF) believes one of the key questions currently facing the media is how to rebuild trust in journalism. Speaking on a panel discussing How to Build Trust in Contemporary Journalism at the University of Tasmania, AFJ director Peter Greste said there are several fundamental questions that need public discussion. “We need to rethink the news…
AJFSeptember 13, 2018
The New York Times today published an editorial that responds to the Boston Globe's call for outlets across America to publish editorials that denounce President Trump's hostility to the media. "In 2018, some of the most damaging attacks are coming from government officials. Criticizing the news media — for underplaying or overplaying stories, for getting something wrong — is entirely…
AJFAugust 16, 2018
Journalism freedom fighter Professor Peter Greste is spearheading a unique research collaboration to protect media independence, the role of the media in democracy, and the safety of journalists. The University of Queensland and the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom (AJF) have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on research projects about many aspects of media freedom. Professor Greste, who is also…
AJFJune 28, 2018
The New York-based Committee for the Protection of Journalists is blunt in its assessment of the state of journalism around the world today: “There has never been a more dangerous time to be a journalist,” it declares in its #FreeThePress campaign.
Peter GresteJune 28, 2018
The best weapon against fake news is true news. So when ‘Trust me, I’m a journalist’ fails to charm, should journalists work harder at their credibility? ‘Fighting Fakes – the Nordic Way’ considers ways to improve journalists’ reputations as one way to counter fake news. Written by journalists and media professionals and launched in May on World Press Freedom Day,…
Peter WilkinsonJune 26, 2018
A few months ago, an American organization called Freedom House released the results of its annual survey of press freedom around the world. It’s stark conclusion – it is at its worst state in 13 years. What does that mean in practical terms? Well, last year, 79 journalists were killed doing their jobs. It isn’t a record high – that…
Peter GresteJune 8, 2018
Peter Greste’s campaign for global press freedom has received a boost from Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who has made her first public statement on Myanmar’s jailing of two Reuters journalists. Ms Bishop spoke for the first time about the journalists’ plight after being contacted by The Australian, following Greste’s call for the Australian government to muster all of its diplomatic…
AJFJune 6, 2018
Today, Peter Greste, while being awarded the Australian Press Council’s 2018 Press Freedom Medal, announced the formation of an organisation to fight for journalist freedom. The Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom (AJF) will advocate to preserve media freedom in Australia and to campaign for a freer press and journalists’ safety in the Asia Pacific region. “Press freedom around the world is…
Peter WilkinsonMay 3, 2018