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Why the raids on Australian media present a clear threat to democracy
The Australian Federal Police has this week conducted two high-profile raids on journalists who have exposed government secrets and their sources.
- Rebecca Ananian-Welsh
- The Conversation
On Tuesday, seven AFP officers spent several hours searching News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst’s Canberra home, her mobile phone and computer. The AFP linked the raid to “the alleged publishing of information classified as an official secret”.
This stemmed from Smethurst’s 2018 article, which contained images of a “top secret” memo and reported that senior government officials were considering moves to empower the…