The case against Dan Oakes exposes how dangerously fragile press freedom is in Australia
For any law to be effective, there needs to be clarity. Most legislation is so mind-numbingly formal and technical because it is drafted to avoid any confusion about exactly what the law allows, what it forbids, who it applies to and the consequences of breaching it.
Yet, when it comes to the role of the media in Australia, legislated confusion abounds.
A free press is universally recognised as essential to the way any democracy should work – that’s why it is hard-wired into most democratic constitutions. The First Amendment to the US constitution protects press freedom there. The Human Rights Act does it in the United Kingdom.… Seguir leyendo »