Witnesses describe how Indonesian troops covered up murder of “Balibo Five”
(RSF/IFEX) – In two more days of testimony on 9 and 12 February 2007 to a coroner’s court in Glebe, Sydney, witnesses provided more details about the circumstances in which cameraman Brian Peters and four other journalist working for Australian TV stations died in the East Timor border village of Balibo on 16 October 1975. […]
More witnesses confirm that “Balibo Five” were murdered by Indonesian forces
(RSF/IFEX) – An inquest being held in the Sydney suburb of Glebe into the death of British cameraman Brian Peters, one of a group of five journalists working for Australian TV stations who were killed in the East Timorese town of Balibo in 1975, heard dramatic allegations on 7 and 8 February 2007 about the […]
Coroner’s Court announces reopening of investigation into the deaths of “Balibo Five” in East Timor
(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders has hailed the reopening of the investigation into the death of TV cameraman Brian Peters, a member of a group of five journalists of Australian, New Zealand and British nationality who were killed by Indonesian soldiers and paramilitaries in East Timor in October 1975. “This new investigation 30 years after […]
Newspaper receives death threats from anonymous “Al Qaeda” caller
(RSF/IFEX) – On 30 January 2007, Reporters Without Borders wrote to Attorney-General Philip Ruddock calling for urgent action in response to death threats against “Al-Furat”, a weekly serving Australia’s Iraqi community, by an anonymous caller claiming to belong to Al Qaeda. The letter asked Ruddock to take the threats seriously and to provide protection for […]
IFJ urges Australian government not to impede long-awaited inquest into deaths of “Balibo Five” journalists 30 years ago
(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is a 19 December 2006 IFJ press release: “Time for justice” 30 years after deaths of Balibo five journalists in East Timor The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) supports calls from Australian affiliate, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (the Alliance), for full cooperation in an upcoming coroner’s inquest into the […]
Student magazine editor subjected to terror probe
(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders has expressed shock that the editor of a student magazine became the subject of an investigation under a federal anti-terror law after being denounced on an “anti-terrorist” hotline. “This was an example of an unfortunate use of Australia’s freedom-impinging laws,” the press freedom organisation said, calling for legislative reform to […]
Parliament passes media ownership laws encouraging media concentration, threatening freedom of expression
(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is an IFJ media release: Australian government’s media reforms threaten freedom of expression The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is calling on the Australian Government to abandon new media ownership laws that were passed by the Parliament earlier this week after the laws triggered almost $US5 billion in frenetic sharemarket trading […]
High Court decision undermines the public’s right to know
(MEAA/IFEX) – The following is an MEAA press release: High Court decision undermines the public’s right to know The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, the union that represents Australia’s media workers, is concerned that a decision in the High Court of Australia has failed to uphold the intent and purpose of Australia’s freedom of information […]
MEAA releases 2006 report, describes “continuation of the dramatic decline of press freedom”
(MEAA/IFEX) – The following is the introduction to the MEAA report “The media muzzled: Australia’s 2006 press freedom report”: When it comes to press freedom, the past 12 months have felt like two steps backwards for every step forward. First, the good news: After decades of campaigning, we’ve finally won uniform defamation laws that focus […]
Contempt case at odds with planned legislation to protect journalists’ confidential sources, says MEAA
(MEAA/IFEX) – The following is a 24 August 2006 MEAA media release: CONTEMPT CASE AT ODDS WITH PLANNED LEGISLATION TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS’ CONFIDENTIAL SOURCES The Alliance says that all governments should move quickly to implement their commitment to provide some qualified privilege for journalists. This comes after a Victorian Supreme Court decision to pursue contempt […]
Victoria Supreme Court rejects appeal by two “Herald Sun” reporters facing imprisonment
(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Michael Harvey and Gerard McManus of the Melbourne-based “Herald Sun” could be imprisoned very soon for contempt of court after Judge Elizabeth Hollingworth, of the Supreme Court of the southeastern state of Victoria, on 23 August 2006 rejected their appeal against a lower court’s order that they name their source for a […]
ARTICLE 19 calls on the Australian government to review its sedition laws
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is a 12 April 2006 ARTICLE 19 press release: ARTICLE 19 calls on the Australian government to review its sedition laws ARTICLE 19 has lodged a submission in response to the Australian Law Reform Commission’s review of the sedition laws enacted in November 2005. ARTICLE 19’s submission outlines the applicable […]
Surveillance laws passed by senate pose severe threat to press freedom, says MEAA
(MEAA/IFEX) – The following is a MEAA media release: Phone tap laws threaten press freedom New laws, passed by the Senate yesterday, give law enforcement agencies power to intercept phone calls, emails and text messages of innocent people. This extreme surveillance law poses a severe threat to press freedom – journalists can assume their conversations […]
Prime minister’s office has spoof website closed down
(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders has voiced shock at the methods used by the office of Australian Prime Minister John Howard to censor parody website http://www.Johnhowardpm.org, on which political commentator Richard Neville hosted a spoof speech by Howard about the presence of Australian troops in Iraq. The prime minister’s office had the website closed down […]
New laws threaten media diversity, says IFJ
(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is an IFJ media release: IFJ Warns Over Threat to Diversity Following New Media Laws in Australia The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) says the Australian Government’s proposed new media regime fails to take up the real challenges confronting the media and entertainment industries in Australia and will significantly reduce diversity […]
Planned phone tap laws threaten press freedom
(MEAA/IFEX) – The following is a MEAA media release: Phone tap laws in Australia threaten press freedom If federal government plans to give its security agencies new phone-tapping powers are accepted, journalists must assume that their conversations with sources will be intercepted, says Australia’s media union. This excessive threat to press freedom will not only […]