Raids an affront, says News boss Michael Miller

The media industry has condemned police raids on the ABC and a News Corp Australia journ­alist.

Michael Miller, the executive chairman of News Corp Austral­asia, condemned the intrusiv­e raid on Annika Smethurst’s home early on Tuesday. Picture: Britta Campion

The media industry has condemned police raids on the ABC and a News Corp Australia journ­alist, warning it raises grave concerns for press freedom.

Australian Federal Police raided the public broadcaster’s Ultimo headquarters in central Sydney over its 2017 series The Afghan Files, with the search warrant naming journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark, and long-serving news director Gaven Morris.

The move came less than 24 hours after AFP officers raided the home of senior News Corp press gallery reporter Annika Smethurst over her reporting last year of a secret plan that would have allowe­d Australia to spy on its citizen­s for the first time.

Michael Miller, the executive chairman of News Corp Austral­asia, condemned the intrusiv­e raid on Smethurst’s home early on Tuesday, which was followed by the raid on the ABC yesterday.

“That raid involved seven police officers arriving unannounced at her home early morning, and seven hours searching through her personal belongings,’’ Mr Miller said.

“They searched her oven, her bathroom cabinets, her kitchen drawers and her underwear drawers. The raid was unequivocal intimidat­ion.

“It was an affront to press freedom and demonstrated an alarming escalation to silence those who publish truths the government does not want made public.’’

Mr Miller said News Corp Australia stood by Smethurst, and would not “resile” from its campaign to protect the public’s right to know. “Equally, we support the ABC’s concerns over freedom of the press and proper public scrut­iny of national security and defenc­e matters,” he said.

ABC executives and journalists, including managing director David Anderson and editorial directo­r Craig McMurtrie, were scathing about the raid, and voiced their support for their journalists.

Mr Anderson said it was “highly unusual for the national broadcaster to be raided in this way”. “This is a serious development and raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press and proper public scrutiny of national security and defence matters,’’ he said.

“The ABC stands by its journalists, will protect its sources and continue to report without fear or favour on national security and intelligen­ce issues when there is a clear public interest.’’

Mr McMurtrie told journalists gathered outside the ABC’s headquarters yesterday that the raid was “very, very concerning”.

“We should feel uncomfortable about this, we are here at the ­national public broadcaster and the Australian Federal Police have exercised a search warrant and that ought to feel uncomfortable, that ought to be disconcerting,’’ he said.

The ABC knew the AFP was coming yesterday morning, Mr McMurtrie said, adding that it was a “very unwelcom­e develo­pment”.

Free TV Australia, which represents the commercial free-to-air television broadcasters, said the raids were “deeply disturbing”, and called on the Coalition governm­ent and Labor to support independent journalism.

“We live in a democracy, not a police state,” chief executive Bridget Fair said.