This article from The Australian, entitled “Silencing Our Basic Freedom”, is compulsory reading for anyone who cares about the future of democracy in Australia. This blog is frequently critical of that particular newspaper, but on this issue it is fighting for an extremely important and non-partisan cause - the ability of the media, and thereby the Australian people, to use information leaked to it to hold to account the politicians and bureaucrats we appoint to govern for us:
…the fate of journalists will always be linked to that of the whistleblowers who provide them with the information. If there is no protection for whistleblowers, hopes for a better balance between government secrets and the public’s right to know will be unrealised. And the slide towards less accountable, less transparent governments will continue unabated.
Edit: fixed bad link.
Congrats to the Oz for taking such a highly principled only mildly self-serving stand. For once.
Surely the readers will come rolling in now you got a plug on “The Legal Soapbox”!
Yes, it’s a veritable storm of commenting…
LL - it is indeed self-serving, but in a truly corrupt society the media doesn’t push for freedom, it just serves its political masters. Not perfect, but could be worse I suppose.