MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Judge takes swipe at media on privacy

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Original article by Michael Pelly
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 28-Sep-20

High Court judge Patrick Keane criticised the ‘old media’ in a recent speech titled ‘Too Much Information: civilisation and the problems of privacy’. Justice Keane claimed that media owners had a degree of self-interest in their push to have existing defamation laws changed, and that when it comes to choosing between the right to privacy and the right to know, they are likely to favour the right "with the dollar signs attached". The states recently agreed to introduce reforms to defamation laws which they argue in part will better protect public interest journalism, but so far New South Wales is the only state to have passed the uniform legislation.

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HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Kayo climbs off canvas to hit new high

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 23-Sep-20

Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany says the pay-TV group now boasts nearly two million sports subscribers across its broadcast and streaming platforms. The Kayo Sports streaming service now has more than 600,000 subscribers, compared with 542,000 in early August. Kayo’s subscriber base fell to around 331,000 in May after the coronavirus pandemic forced major sports such as the Australian Football League and National Rugby League to temporarily put their 2020 seasons on hold.

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FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, KAYO SPORTS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE

ABC, SBS under threat in regional areas

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 12 : 18-Sep-20

Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor has become involved in a dispute between the nation’s public broadcasters and Regional Broadcasters Australia. The dispute, over maintenance and repair charges for broadcast equipment, has resulted in more than 400 residents in the New South Wales town of Goulburn not being able to access the ABC or SBS. Taylor, whose electorate of Hume covers Goulburn, says many of these residents are elderly and depend on the ABC and SBS for news and information. He has asked the ABC, SBS and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher to try to find a solution to the dispute.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), REGIONAL BROADCASTERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Facebook will be loser if it bans news: Sims

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 18-Sep-20

Facebook and Google would be forced to pay for news content that is posted on their platforms under the mandatory code of conduct proposed by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission. Facebook has threatened to ban all news on its platform in response to the code, but ACCC chairman Rod Sims contends that such action could weaken the social media company. Sims has also rejected claims made in public campaigns by Facebook and Google that the proposed code will give news publishers access to their algorithms.

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FACEBOOK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

PM tells Google and Facebook: You’re bluffing

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 8-Sep-20

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has told Facebook and Google that he does not give into coercion. The two technology companies are unhappy about federal government plans to make them pay news publishers for their content; Facebook has threatened to pull Australian and international content from its Facebook and Instagram platforms in response to the code, while Google has stated it will have to cull news content from search results. Morrison said he is happy to call their bluff on the issue.

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GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

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.

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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.

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

It’s official: Internet is Australia’s main source of news; TV remains most trusted

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 24-Aug-20

New research from Roy Morgan reveals that the internet has overtaken TV as Australia’s main source of news over the last two years. Over 12.7 million Australians (60.8%) now say the internet is a main source of news, up 1.4 million since 2018; nearly 7.9 million Australians (37.7%) specifically nominate Social Media. The number of Australians who say TV is their main source of news has dipped 1 million over the last two years to 12.4 million, or 59.4%. However, TV is still regarded as the most trusted source of news by nearly 7 million Australians (33.4%). Other traditional media used widely as main sources of news include radio, nominated by 8.7 million Australians (41.9%) and printed newspapers, mentioned by 5.2 million (25.0%), although both have declined since 2018. Within the broader category of the internet over 3.4 million Australians (16.5%, a significant increase of 4.6% points since 2018) use news feed sites such as Google News, Apple News and Feedly, a further 1.8 million (8.6%) use email subscriptions or updates and 1.1 million (5.6%) use other websites or apps. These findings are drawn from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, Australia’s most comprehensive consumer survey, derived from in-depth interviews with 50,000 Australians each year.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

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.

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

Google may walk over media code

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Original article by John Durie
The Australian – Page: 15 & 24 : 20-Aug-20

Google’s revenue in Australia totalled $4.3bn in 2020, while its net profit fell from $129.5m to just $33.9m. Although the digital giant has not publicly threatened to withdraw its search engine from the Australian market in response to the mandatory code of conduct, such a move is clearly being contemplated. Any move by Google to pull out of the local market could test the resolve of other nations to crack down on digital companies. It would also be very risky from a commercial point of view, as it would give Google’s search engine rivals a big boost in a market which it dominates.

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GOOGLE INCORPORATED