MASS MEDIA – AUSTRALIA

Follow the UK on press freedom, PM urged

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 4 : 27-Jun-19

A court ruling that media companies can be regarded as the publisher of comments posted on Facebook has prompted industry leaders to call for legislative action. News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller says the federal government should adopt similar laws to those in the UK, whereby publishers are not legally responsible for comments that their readers post on their social media pages. ABC MD David Anderson also expressed concern about the ruling, while Nine Entertainment CEO Hugh Marks said Facebook should be subject to the same regulations as traditional media.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA), SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Security laws used to avoid scrutiny, say media bosses

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 27-Jun-19

News Corp Australasia chairman Michael Miller, Nine Entertainment CEO Hugh Marks and ABC MD David Anderson jointly addressed the National Press Club on 26 June. They discussed issues such as the Australian Federal Police’s recent media raids, the impact of national security laws on freedom of the press and the public’s right to know, and the need for an overhaul of defamation laws. Miller suggested that the AFP raids on the ABC’s Sydney office and the home of News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst constituted intimidation rather than investigation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA), AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Media leaders united in fight for public’s right to know

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 3 : 26-Jun-19

Freedom of the press and the public’s right to know will be the key thrust of a joint address to the National Press Club by three of Australia’s top media executives on 26 June. The joint appearance of News Corp Australasia chairman Michael Miller, Nine Entertainment Company CEO Hugh Marks and ABC MD David Anderson follows the recent police raids on the offices of the public broadcaster and the home of News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA), HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Facebook ruling sparks call for defamation law overhaul

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 25-Jun-19

The Supreme Court of New South Wales has ruled that media companies can be deemed to be the publisher of comments that are posted on their Facebook pages, rendering them liable for comments that are defamatory. The court ruled that News Corp Australia and Nine Entertainment Company are responsible for users’ comments posted on Facebook, arguing that they are able to monitor such comments and prevent defamatory ones from being published. News Corp Australia says the ruling demonstrates the need for changes to the nation’s defamation laws.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, SKY NEWS

News takes AFP raid fight to High Court

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 25-Jun-19

The ABC and News Corp Australia will both challenge the constitutional validity of the Australian Federal Police’s recent media raids. The ABC will ask the Federal Court to rule that the AFP’s warrant was invalid on a number of grounds, including that it infringed the public broadcaster’s implied right of political communication. News Corp Australia will use similar arguments in the High Court; it will also seek confirmation from the AFP that it is no longer investigating the media group itself or journalist Annika Smethurst.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE, AUSTRALIAN SIGNALS DIRECTORATE

Rivals unite on law reform

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 24 : 24-Jun-19

News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller, ABC MD David Anderson and Nine Entertainment Company CEO Hugh Marks will jointly address the National Press Club on 26 June. They will call for legislative reforms to ensure freedom of the press and the public’s right to know. The joint speech follows the recent police raids on the ABC’s Sydney offices and the home of a News Corp journalist. The ABC is set to launch a legal challenge to the Australian Federal Police raids, while News Corp is still considering its legal options.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA), AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

Millar to serve ABC a country breakfast

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 7 : 20-Jun-19

The ABC has advised that Lisa Millar will replace Virginia Trioli as the co-host of the public broadcaster’s ‘News Breakfast’ program in August. The ABC veteran has been a foreign correspondent for the last nine years, and notes that the city-country divide has become more pronounced during her absence from Australia. As a result, Millar wants to cover more stories about regional Australia in her new role.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED

Media chiefs want urgent action on press freedom

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 18-Jun-19

Nine Entertainment Company CEO Hugh Marks, News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller and ABC MD David Anderson will jointly address the National Press Club on 26 June. They will discuss the fallout from the Australian Federal Police’s media raids, and press the case for legislative reforms to provide greater protection for journalists and whistleblowers. The federal government is under pressure to hold a parliamentary inquiry into press freedom, but the media industry believes that changes to national security laws should be the priority.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ALLIANCE FOR JOURNALISTS’ FREEDOM

Federal Court orders fresh batch of pirate sites blocked

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 18-Jun-19

Village Roadshow CEO Graham Burke has described a Federal Court ruling that 76 copyright infringing websites be blocked by telcos as a victory for both Village Roadshow and the broader Australian film community. Site-blocking laws aimed at stamping out copyright piracy were passed in 2015, and Burke notes that almost 1,000 pirate websites and domains have now been blocked. He also notes Australians are now backing the push against piracy, with research indicating that three out of four people view it as theft.

CORPORATES
VILLAGE ROADSHOW LIMITED – ASX VRL, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, VOCUS GROUP LIMITED – ASX VOC

Stan faces uncertain times as its sweetheart deals expire and rivals muscle in

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Original article by Andrew White
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 17-Jun-19

AMPD Research estimates that Stan boasts about 1.4 million subscribers in Australia, compared with around 5.3 million for Netflix. Stan faces a number of headwinds, including a rise in programming costs as its existing content deals expire and the expected loss of its content deal with Disney as the US media giant prepares to launch its own subscription video-on-demand. Stan also faces the prospect of increased competition as other SVOD players enter the local market.

CORPORATES
STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, AMR RESEARCH, WALT DISNEY COMPANY, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, HULU LLC, ESPN+, HBO, CBS CORPORATION, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, CBS ALL ACCESS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, CCZ STATTON EQUITIES PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, KAYO SPORTS, LIGHTBOX, SPARK NEW ZEALAND LIMITED – ASX SPK