High Court ruling highlights weakness in press protections

Early June last year, the Australian Federal Police raided News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst’s house in search for the source of a story she had published in The Daily Telegraph a year earlier.

On Wednesday, the High Court ruled the warrant authorising the raid as invalid, as it failed to meet the basic requirements needed for a valid warrant.

While this was a victory for Ms Smethurst, the ruling highlights the dismal state of Australia’s freedom of the press protections.

Producers:

• Zoe Rudge

Speakers:

• Peter Greste
• UNESCO chair in Journalism and Communication at the University of Queensland and a founding director and spokesperson of the Alliance for Journalist freedom