Arthur Sinodinos, former minister and Australia’s ambassador-designate to Washington, has warned that the media is becoming a polarised “battleground”, which is dangerous for democracy and science, writes Michelle Gratten.

He said it was much easier for parties to be fragmented these days “because it’s much easier for individuals to get a platform, partly through the way the media itself is fragmented.”

Law Council of Australia President Arthur Moses and defamation law specialist Matt Collins addressed the National Press Club today about the "creeping erosion of human rights and freedoms" in the face of increasing national security laws "which pose a threat to press freedom and personal liberties."
 
In his speech he said:
 

International journalists Maria Ressa, Lina Attalah, Irina Borogan and Steve Coll were on a panel in conversation with Peter Greste today, at the Opera House’s Antidote  festival of ideas.

Who gets to speak, is one of the questions being tackled at a session in today’s Antidote talks at the Sydney Opera House.

radioinfo is there.

The consortium led by the ABC, News Limited and Channel Nine is currently presenting to the committee, to explain further its submission that says the recent raids have had "a chilling effect" on journalists and whistleblowers.

Jailed Australian Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste will be the focus of a joint campaign “30 Days of Press Freedom” by the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA), The Walkley Foundation for Journalism and the International Federation of Journalists Asia-Pacific.