Mastheads from the domestic unit of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, Australian Financial Review publisher Nine Entertainment and the website of the government-funded Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) were expected to show current news stories with most of the words blacked out. The government added a provision to protect whistle blowers when it strengthened counter-espionage laws in 2018, although media organisations say press freedoms remain restricted. Global attention turned to media freedoms in Australia this year when a court order prevented media from reporting that the former Vatican treasurer, Cardinal George Pell, had been found guilty on child sex abuse charges. Some Australian outlets reported that an unidentified person had been convicted but some foreign media companies identified Pell because they were outside Australia’s jurisdiction. Prosecutors are now seeking fines and jail sentences for three dozen Australian journalists and publishers for their coverage of the trial.

Source: The Express Tribune October 20, 2019 14:37 UTC