Media Freedom

Some big issues of public interest have been revealed down the years by employees tipping off reporters. Major wrongs have been righted by the media applying the fabled ‘disinfectant of sunlight’. But… Audio

The police raid on the home of News Corp political journalist Annika Smethurst last week sparked a firestorm of controversy over press freedom - further fueled by a raid on the Sydney headquarters of… Audio

Three times this week week the powers-that-be intruded on journalists in Australia to try and dig out sources of controversial stories of clear public interest. Media freedom advocates there say a new… Audio

Any complacency about extremism here was extinguished by the attack in Christchurch on 15 March. The media claimed it marked “the end of our innocence”. We're still in the top ten for global press… Audio

Banning the gunman’s so-called manifesto was a controversial call by the Chief Censor last week. It has divided opinion among the media over whether they should delve into it - and just how much of it… Audio

International journalists were startled when Chinese officials prevented them from reporting some events at the APEC summit in Papua New Guinea this week. It was a taste of the tactics China employs… Audio

Several states now have laws targeting fake news and more are thinking about it. But should governments be responsible for the pushing back against deliberate disinformation online? Should the news… Video, Audio

The police apology to Nicky Hager has helped clarify - at last - important principles of journalistic privilege and protection for sources. But it’s the third time in recent years that state agencies… Audio

Ten journalists were killed in Afghanistan this week by a bomber posing as one of them. They were the latest victims of rising hostility to the media around the world. Peter Greste  - who knows what… Audio

New Zealand is back in the top ten in the annual rankings of global media freedom. That's not bad considering we plummeted down the ladder last year. But does that mean everything’s rosy?

Australia's biggest news media companies have united to fight a national security law that could criminalise reporters and their sources. Peter Greste - who knows all about being jailed for journalism… Audio