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No conflict for journalists as spooks

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Original article by Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 8-Sep-20

Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James says journalists who provide information to their own country’s intelligence service should not be viewed as spies. James was commenting on a report that former ABC foreign correspondent Peter Barnett may have assisted Australian intelligence services in the 1960s and 1970s. Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance president Marcus Strom contends that providing information to an intelligence agency would be viewed as a conflict of interest for a journalist that would have to be declared under their code of ethics.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA DEFENCE ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE

Australia’s top cop says raiding journalist’s home was no mistake

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Original article by Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 1-Sep-20

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw appeared before a Senate inquiry into press freedom on 31 August. He told the inquiry that the AFP had been right to raid the home of News Corp Australia journalist Annika Smethurst in mid-2019, despite the fact that the search warrant was subsequently ruled to be invalid by the High Court. Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance CEO Paul Murphy told the inquiry that contestable search warrants are necessary to ensure press freedom. However, Kershaw and Department of Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo argued that allowing such warrants would be "detrimental to the workings" of the police.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS

Seven West’s five-year fightback

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 19 : 24-Aug-20

Former Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood has completed a review of West Australian Newspapers, amid ongoing speculation about the future of the Seven West Media division. WAN’s editor-in-chief Anthony De Ceglie says Hywood’s recommendations will be taken into account in developing a five-year plan for the newspaper publisher. He adds that WAN will continue to publish print editions for some time, while there has been strong growth in digital subscriptions since WAN paywalled its news websites in mid-2019. Seven West will report its 2019-20 financial results on 25 August.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, WEST AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPERS HOLDINGS LIMITED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED

News Corp’s advertising revenue falls over 50% in fourth quarter, as company posts US$1.5bn loss

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Original article by Vivienne Kelly
Mumbrella – Page: Online : 10-Aug-20

News Corporation has posted a loss of $US401m for the June quarter, compared with a loss of just $42m for the previous corresponding period. Its loss for the year to 30 June totalled $US1.545bn, following a profit of $US228m for the previous year. Advertising revenue fell 51.6 per cent in the quarter and 19.9 per cent for the year, and news media revenue was down 41 per cent in the quarter and 18 per cent for the year. The financial results for Dow Jones have been disclosed separately for the first time; the publisher of ‘The Wall Street Journal’ has posted lower revenue for the quarter, but full-year revenue rose by three per cent to $US1.6n. In Australia, the subscriber base of Foxtel – including the Kayo and Binge streaming services – fell 12 per cent to 2.777 million in 2019-20.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Reform ‘won’t fix defamation’

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Original article by Chris Merritt
The Australian – Page: 19 : 27-Jul-20

Minter Ellison partner Peter Bartlett has questioned whether the proposed new defence for public interest journalism will be effective. It is based on a British provision that requires a journalist to prove that they reasonably believed that the publication of a statement was in the public interest. Bartlett warns that if the new defence is interpreted in the same way as the British defence, it is likely to have a similar impact as the existing defence of statutory qualified privilege, which has not been successfully used by the media. The Council of Attorneys-General will approve a model defamation bill on 27 July.

CORPORATES
MINTER ELLISON, AUSTRALIA. COUNCIL OF ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Ten confirms exit from Supercars, leaving Seven in pole position

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 24-Jul-20

The Ten Network’s director of sport production Adam Cush has advised that it will relinquish the Supercars’ free-to-air broadcasting rights at the end of 2020. Ten and pay-TV group Foxtel secured a six-year rights deal in 2013 which commenced in 2015. Ten indicated earlier in 2020 that it may not seek to renew the rights deal. Seven West Media previously held the free-to-air broadcasting rights, but its push to reduce costs means it may be unwilling to pay too much for the Supercars rights.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, V8 SUPERCARS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

Curb on mega-payouts to celebrities

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Original article by Chris Merritt
The Australian – Page: 2 : 24-Jul-20

A proposed national model law will be on the agenda of a Council of Attorneys-General meeting on 27 July. The national model laws includes changes to defamation laws, including replacing the existing defence of statutory qualified privilege for media companies with a new defence of public interest journalism. The model bill will also seek to address the rising cost of defamation payouts, amid a growing trend for judges to bypass existing caps on damages for causing harm to a person’s reputation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. COUNCIL OF ATTORNEYS-GENERAL

TV networks prepare for second half of COVID-19 marathon

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Original article by Natasha Gillezeau
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 13-Jul-20

The Nine Network has a total audience share of 27.8 per cent halfway through the ratings year, ahead of the Seven Network’s 26.5 per cent and the Ten Network’s 18.7 per cent. Free-to-air networks have been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which has disrupted production schedules and affected advertising revenue. However, Daniel Cutrone of media buyer Avenue C says the challenging conditions in 2020 present opportunities for advertisers who would not usually consider TV as an option.

CORPORATES
NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, AVENUE C

ABC joins calls for tech titans to pay for news

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 7 : 9-Jul-20

The ABC’s MD David Anderson has used a National Press Club speech to argue that the public broadcaster should be included in a revenue-sharing agreement with digital companies such as Google and Facebook. He said this revenue could be reinvested in public interest journalism. Anderson also contended that the ABC provides "great value" in return for its annual budget of more than $1bn. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s draft mandatory code for digital companies is expected to be released by the end of July.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Newspaper publisher ACM may close presses in Victoria, SA and Canberra, shedding 200 jobs

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Original article by Emilia Terzon
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 9-Jul-20

Regional newspaper publisher Australian Community Media may shut down four of its nine printing plants. ACM has declined to comment on the likely job losses if the printing presses in Albury-Wodonga, Ballarat, Canberra and Murray Bridge are shut down; the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union estimates that about 200 people would be retrenched, primarily in Ballarat. ACM says reduction in printing volumes due to the coronavirus pandemic means it has excess print capacity.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY MEDIA