Journalists should not be immune from secrecy offences but may gain new defences for public interest journalism, according to a plan put forth by a parliamentary inquiry into press freedom. The report recommends stricter procedures for issuing warrants for national security investigations that encroach on press freedom. The committee rejected calls for exemptions for journalists from security offences, but recommended the attorney general’s department review all such offences and consider adding specific public interest defences for journalists. They also suggested public interest advocates could be used more generally for warrant hearings involving journalists rather than a specific list of secrecy and unauthorised disclosure offences. “Journalists still face jail for legitimate news reporting in the public interest,” MEAA federal president Marcus Strom said.

Source: The Guardian August 26, 2020 10:25 UTC