ABC raided by Australian Federal Police, but it ‘stands by’ its journalists
The ABC headquarters in Sydney have been targeted by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) today, in relation to the 2017 reporting known as The Afghan Files.
It is the second raid this week, with the AFP also raiding the home of a News Corp editor in Canberra, in response to a 2018 hacking story.
According to reports from the ABC, the search warrant provided by the AFP names investigative journalists Dan Oakes, Sam Clark and ABC director of news Gaven Morris.
Oakes and Clark wrote The Afghan Files stories in 2017 regarding alleged unlawful killings and misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan.
AFP arriving at ABC. Not sure “welcome” is quite the right word. pic.twitter.com/oRVng3bH2x
— John Lyons (@TheLyonsDen) June 5, 2019
ABC director David Anderson voiced concerns over how journalists can be expected to provide unbiased and important reporting in these conditions.
“It is 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,” Anderson 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.”
In a media release, the AFP stated that the raid had been carried out “in relation to allegations of publishing classified material, contrary to provisions of the Crimes Act 1914″.
The release said no arrests were expected as a result of the raid and that the raid was not related to that which occurred on the home of News Corp editor Annika Smethurst on June 4.
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) media section president Marcus Strom has condemned today’s raid, saying this can’t become the ‘new normal’ for journalists and media outlets.
“A second day of raids by the Australian Federal Police sets a disturbing pattern of assaults on Australian press freedom. This is nothing short of an attack on the public’s right to know.
“Police raiding journalists is becoming normalised and it has to stop,” Strom said.
“These raids are about intimidating journalists and media organisations because of their truth-telling. They are about more than hunting down whistleblowers that reveal what governments are secretly doing in our name, but also preventing the media from shining a light on the actions of government,” he said.
Strom also drew a link between the raids and the recent federal election, and called on the government to name the people responsible for the raids.
“Yesterday’s raid was in response to a story published a year ago. Today’s raid comes after a story was published nearly two years ago. Suddenly, just days after a federal election, the Federal Police launches this attack on press freedom. It seems that when the truth embarrasses the government, the result is the Federal Police will come knocking at your door.”
Speaking on his radio show, 2GB journalist Ben Fordham said his thoughts were with Smethurst and claimed he had also been targeted related to a story on asylum seekers.
My thoughts are with @annikasmethurst as her home is raided over a leak. I’ve been informed today I’m also the subject of a Home Affairs inquiry “which could lead to an AFP criminal investigation”. It’s related to this story – https://t.co/0A0Qm1tQwf More details now on @2GB873
— BenFordham (@BenFordham) June 4, 2019
Fordham said he had been informed the enquiries could lead to an AFP criminal investigation.
Is it wrong that as soon as I read about the ABC raid, I immediately linked the close relationship between NewsCorp and the LNP and thought that the NewsCorp raid earlier in the week was therefore a smokescreen? 😉
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How good is dystopia!
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Yes indeed a smokescreen. Interesting, it seems a viable use of the AFP powers, having seen more or less raids (coups) on Australia’s elected governments since 2008 or so with Gillard taking over Rudd.. Then Trunbull taking over Abbott. While this seemed illegitimate, no laws seem to have been broken i.e. Its well and good to overthrow an elected government, so long as its done from within.. The AFP should investigate the Billions or so of embezzled dollars from the Trunbull admin into the Great Barrier Reef Trust scam, water buy backs which have allegedly resulted in those funds sitting in Cayman Island accounts.. What a sickening excuse for democracy we now have. Taking orders from war mongering families of inbred lunatics.. God.
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Nope. Similarly, with 2GB’s Ben Fordham allegedly facing investigation, I think they’re trying to make it appear as though no one is safe, but anyone with half a brain cell knows shutting down/up the ABC permanently is the government’s (as directed by the IPA/Murdoch) long-held ambition. And the AFP has long acted as Dutton’s muscle, so this is just the start.
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I think it is important the industry, and consumers speak with one voice on this. I don’t like what happened at News, and to the News Ltd journalist, and I don’t like what happened at the ABC to ABC journalists, and I don’t like the witness “K” prosecution, and these are all part of the same story: The state is using secrecy laws to constrain public discourse.
I think the MEAA and the publishers and the lawyers should be sitting in a room, discussing what is their common ground here. I hate what News Ltd has done to their editorial but this problem transcends that, and I feel there is a need for somewhere we can stand together on this.
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