Trust media on national security, says Ita Buttrose

Australian media managers can be trusted with national security, ABC chair Ita Buttrose said.

Australian media managers can be trusted with national security and do not need their operations further restricted by government, ABC chairwoman Ita Buttrose says.

Addressing a business lunch in Brisbane on Monday, Ms Buttrose called on Australians to support the Your Right to Know campaign.

The campaign was partly prompted by Australian Federal Police raids on the ABC and the home of a News Corp Australia journalist, prompting Ms Buttrose to say that it was ironic police had brought the organisations together “as it’s usually News Corp that is attempting to police the ABC”.  Ms Buttrose said some of the ABC’s potential sources had been “frightened” by the raids, and law reform was needed to protect whistleblowers and media dealing with the public interest.

“On issues of national security, the media can certainly be trusted,” Ms Buttrose told the Committee for Economic Development of Australia. “Whatever views you might all have about journalism, when it comes to national security those of us in responsible management ­positions, we know what to do, and we know what not to do. You cannot cite an example, I don’t think, where anybody in media has ­betrayed Australia or done something that wasn’t in the interest of national security. I can’t speak for the entire profession — there is ­always going to be one or two bad eggs, wherever we all are — but I think most journalists ­really strive to do their very best.”

Ms Buttrose also said the Freedom of Information Act was “very jam-packed” and should be rewritten.

News Corp Australia publishes The Australian.