News Corp: Police raid on journalist’s home ‘dangerous act of intimidation’
News Corp says an AFP raid on senior reporter Annika Smethurst will “chill public interest reporting”.
News Corp Australia says a federal police raid on one of its senior reporters today will “chill public interest reporting” and was a “dangerous act of intimidation” toward journalists in Australia.
Annika Smethurst, the News Corp Sunday tabloids’ political editor, had her Canberra home raided early this morning, with the AFP presenting a warrant to search her home, computer and mobile phone. Ms Smethurst complied with the search.
Hours after the AFP raid, 2GB radio host Ben Fordham revealed live on air that he was now involved in a Home Affairs Department inquiry for reporting on Monday that six asylum-seeker boats were headed for Australia.
Fordham said there was “no hope in hell” he would give up any sources, even though he was not the target of the investigation into his asylum-seeker boats reports. “I don’t know how concerned I should be, because I haven’t been in a situation like this before,” he said. “I’ll co-operate with them as much as I can, but I’m not able to reveal my sources. Never have, never will. Agencies like Home Affairs are free to investigate leaks, just as I’m free to decide not to reveal my sources.”
It is understood the raid on Smethurst was in relation to a story published in April 2018 which said the Defence and Home Affairs ministries discussed new espionage powers that would see the Australian Signals Directorate monitor Australian citizens for the first time.
A News Corp Australia spokeswoman said today that Australians had a right to know about the intelligence plan and that the raid was a “clear and dangerous” signal to those trying to cover intelligence and national security matters.
“The Australian public’s right to know information about government laws that could impact their lives is of fundamental importance in our society,” she said.
“This raid demonstrates a dangerous act of intimidation towards those committed to telling uncomfortable truths. The raid was outrageous and heavy handed.
“News Corp Australia has expressed the most serious concerns about the willingness of governments to undermine the Australian public’s right to know about important decisions Governments are making that can and will impact ordinary Australian citizens.
“What’s gone on this morning sends clear and dangerous signals to journalists and newsrooms across Australia. This will chill public interest reporting.”
MEAA statement: Police raid on a journalist’s home "is an outrageous attack on press freedom that seeks to punish a journalist for reporting a legitimate news story that was clearly in the public interest."https://t.co/Cehsf5A9Nt#MEAAmedia pic.twitter.com/9DrleT4XFO
— MEAA (@withMEAA) June 4, 2019
The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance labelled the raid an “outrageous attack on press freedom.”
“Yet again, we have an example of a government aiming to punish those who have brought to light vital information. Australians are entitled to know what their governments do in their name,” MEAA president Marcus Strom said.
“That clearly includes plans by government agencies to digitally spy on Australians by hacking into our emails, bank accounts and text messages.
“It is an outrage that more than a year after the story was reported in April 2018 but just days after the federal election result, the Federal Police are now raiding a journalist’s home in order to seize documents, computers and a mobile phone in order to track down the source.”
A federal police spokesman said today that there would be no arrests made from today’s raid but it would allege the disclosure of documents undermined Australia’s national security.
“The Australian Federal Police (AFP) can confirm it has executed a search warrant at a residence in the ACT suburb of Kingston today (4 June 2019). The matter relates to an investigation into the alleged unauthorised disclosure of national security information that was referred to the AFP,” he said.
“Police will allege the unauthorised disclosure of these specific documents undermines Australia’s national security.
“No arrests are expected today as a result of this activity. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.”
Ms Smethurst reported at the time that both Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and then-Defence Minister Marise Payne had seen the proposal but that no formal proposal for legislative amendments had been presented to the government.
Present laws do not allow the ASD to spy on Australian citizens.
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