The national union representing journalists sent a letter to the Fyles Government on Monday calling on it to lift the ongoing ban on the NT Independent and to “stop obstructing” the work of journalists in the NT.
The latest calls come after it was revealed the NT Police hatched a secret plot to have a story the NT Independent wrote last year about the horrific sexual assault of child – that the police media team refused to inform the public about – classified as restricted content by a federal agency, which would have given police the powers to raid the NT Independent’s office, seize computers and possibly arrest journalists for reporting on matters the public has a right to know about.
The NT Police and the Fyles Government have been strongly condemned by the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance for their actions to impede the free press, which the union says is a “direct affront” and an attack on democracy.
“MEAA is troubled by what appears to be a government deciding who is and who isn’t a journalist and censoring coverage by excluding legitimate journalists from accessing government information,” the letter said. “This is a direct affront to Press Freedom.”
“Similarly MEAA is concerned about reported attempts by the NT Police to criminalise reporting done by the NT Independent that related to police suppressing information about sexual assault.
“MEAA Members work at the NT Independent, an outlet that commits to abiding by MEAA’s Code of Ethics for journalists.
“MEAA asks that your government stop obstructing the work of the NT Independent.”
The Fyles Government is yet to respond to the latest calls for the ban to be lifted.
Here’s a summary of what other media around Australia and media commentators have previously reported about the ongoing illegal and unjust ban on the NT Independent by the Gunner/Fyles NT Government:
July 15, 2022 (ABC News)
Critics say it’s Australia’s most extraordinary media ban. So, is the blacklisted NT Independent legitimate?
Media experts have questioned the government’s ban on the media organization, from press conferences and government information for more than two years now. Experts cannot see any grounds for the blacklisting, and held fears of declining press freedom in the country.
Peter Greste, a professor of journalism at Macquarie University and spokesman for the Alliance of Journalists’ Freedom said the ban is anti-democratic.
The government said that a ban policy does not exist, while Mr Greste said: “The fact is that the government across the board has decided that it will not engage with the NT Independent … it’s hard to see how that is anything other than a policy,” he said.
“As far as I can tell, the NT Independent has been working solidly and robustly to fairly standard journalistic ethics,” Mr Greste said.
Opposition to the ban has been voiced strongly by both sides of politics.
In December 2020, the federal Senate passed a unanimous resolution calling on the Northern Territory government to lift the ban.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-15/nt-independent-nt-government-media-ban/101152680
June 22, 2022 (Crikey.com)
Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping… Natasha Fyles. Why does the NT’s chief minister belong in such a company?
Australian governments should not be in the business of banning media access or suppressing freedom of the press. We call for a lift on the ongoing ban against the NT Independent.
Political leaders who announce they don’t “recognise” a news publication as “an independent or reputable media outlet”, and cut off that outlet from government information, usually have names like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping or Viktor Orbán.
Now there’s a new name to add to that list—the recently appointed NT chief minister Natasha Fyles, a Labor Party member. She has backed the ongoing, two-year ban on the award-winning website NT Independent, excluding the Indie from government press conferences and communications on the basis it is illegitimate and biased, Private Media chairman and Crikey publisher Eric Beecher said.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2022/06/22/why-is-nt-chief-minister-fyles-suppressing-media/
August 20, 2021 (The Australia Institute)
Free speech in the lucky country
A study published by Bill Brown raises concern about how state and territory governments use their influence. News site NT Independent was banned from a 2020 press conference held by NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner and from “seeking information from government departments to report to the public” because owner Owen Pike has an anti-government Facebook page.
It said freedom of expression is under threat in Australia, pointing out that ABC and SBS have also been subject to undue comment and pressure from the government leading to public broadcasters making employment and programming decisions that they otherwise would not have done.
These cases, and the many others like them, should raise serious concerns. The traditional champions of freedom of speech – parliament, the courts, the press and the public – are necessary, but not sufficient.
A constitutional amendment, like that proposed in the Constitution Alteration (Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Press) Bill 2019, would protect freedom of expression and be a potential stepping stone to a full constitutional Bill of Rights.
May 16, 2021 (The Australian)
Northern Territory journalists irate over the government’s heavy-handed media tactics
Journalists demand crucial changes to the NT Labor government’s media policy to hold invite-only media conferences at short notice (as little as 30 minutes beforehand), and cherry-picking select journalists to attend media conferences that is hampering press freedom.
The change to sending out alerts for press conferences began about 12 months ago and sources claim it was because the Gunner government did not want the NT Independent’s reporter Chris Walsh putting tough questions to their ministers.
Mr Walsh has been banned from media events in the NT, mainly because the publication he works for is owned by Mr Owen Pike, who has been a staunch critic of the government.
The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance’s federal president Marcus Strom said “the Gunner government is fast developing a reputation as being hostile towards the media”.
The alliance is urging the government to recognise the media’s essential role in informing its citizens and to follow the principles of press freedom in all interactions with journalists.
December 8, 2020 (ABC News)
NT Government’s ‘dangerous’ ban on press outlets should be reversed, Peter Greste says
The Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom says the Territory Government “has set a dangerous precedent” with its continued press ban on NT Independent from attending press conferences and media events.
“I’m very concerned. The NT Independent is a legitimate newspaper, a legitimate news organisation,” Peter Greste, a professor of journalism at Macquarie University and spokesman for the Alliance of Journalists’ Freedom told ABC Radio.
He disputed the government’s position that the NT Independent lacks credibility as a news organisation.
“The work as far as I can tell seems to be fairly straight and fairly legitimate. What matters is the integrity of the editorial policy and the journalists that work there. I don’t see any problem and haven’t seen any complaints about the NT Independent’s journalism,” he said.
“Banning newspapers isn’t a good way of winning voters’ trust. Being open, transparent and accountable to all news organisations is probably the best way forward,” Greste said.
George Williams, the Dean of Law at UNSW and a leading constitutional law expert, said the ban on the NT Independent could breach the High Court’s ruling of the implied freedom of political communication for Australians.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-07/nt-peter-greste-concern-over-nt-government-media-ban/12956502
December 7, 2020 (ABC News)
Peter Greste lambasts Gunner Government over NT Independent news ban
The Territory Government is attracting more criticism for freezing out the NT Independent which covers Top End politics and local news.
Since its launch in March 2020, the NT Independent has been denied access to Gunner Government news conferences and media events. It has also been refused responses to its questions to government departments by the NT Public Service.
In October, the global press freedom group, the Committee to Protect Journalists, called on the Gunner Government to drop the ban immediately.
Now, another internationally recognised media freedom campaigner, Professor Peter Greste, who spent 400 days in an Egyptian jail, has called the freeze a “ridiculous and dangerous step”.
October 8, 2020 (Committee to Protect Journalists)
Australia’s Northern Territory denies news website NT Independent access to government events
The Committee to Protect Journalists said the Territory Government should immediately grant the NT Independent news website equal access to government events and conferences.
NT Independent editor Chis Walsh said in a phone interview with CPJ that the government refused to respond to repeated requests by the news outlet to resolve the issue.
The government said that it did not recognize the outlet “as an independent and reputable news media outlet given the nature of ownership by Mr Owen Pike.” Mr Walsh told CPJ that he had full editorial independence from Mr Pike.
“The Territory government should respect press freedom instead of punishing media outlets in retribution for their ownership,” said Aliya Iftikhar, CPJ’s senior Asia researcher.
Mr Pike previously ran a Facebook page that criticized the local government. The page has since been taken down. The Facebook page was not linked to the NT Independent.
Mr Walsh told CPJ that, in June, a press conference location was moved after the NT Independent tried to attend, and in September, a staffer for Administrator Vicki O’Halloran, the Queen’s representative in the region, forced NT Independent reporters to leave a government ceremony they had attended to cover.
The ban appears to extend across the region’s government, as several Northern Territory departments have refused requests for comment or information from NT Independent reporters.
September 30, 2020 (ABC News)
The government ban on NT Independent news outlet sets a dangerous precedent, experts say
The Territory Government’s decision to blacklist NT Independent is an assault on press freedom after the government froze out the online publication due to grievances with its publisher Mr Owen Pike.
A growing list of critics, which include media freedom advocates, media academics, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) and the Dean of Law at UNSW, has separately labelled the Government’s ban “worrying”, “hugely problematic”, “highly unusual” and “a concern that could raise legal questions”.
The NT Independent has been involved in a series of flashpoints with Mr Gunner’s Labor Government this year after the publication was first banned from attending press conferences in April.
NT Independent editor Chris Walsh said the real reason has less to do with personal grudges and more to do with wanting to avoid scrutiny.
Mr Walsh’s reporting of the previous CLP government between 2012 and 2016 exposed a string of political scandals and set in motion high-profile ministerial resignations.
September 20, 2020 (Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom)
The government ban on NT Independent sets a dangerous precedent
The Territory Government claimed its blacklisting of news outlet NT Independent is based on personal relationships, rather than concerns about journalism practices.
The Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom said that the Territory Government should reverse its position on the NT Independent immediately.
“We can’t imagine any Australian government would knowingly restrict press freedom. News publishers should not be denied access or contact with governments because of personal issues,” AJF director Chris Flynn said.
AJF works with governments to ensure legislation appropriately supports the public’s right to know. It wants to help resolve the issue for both parties.
NT Independent editor Chris Walsh told the ABC that the publication operates as an “independent voice for the public to be better informed” and distanced the editorial content of the publication from its publisher, Mr Pike, saying he had “full editorial control of the paper.”
“Despite being informed of the editorial independence of the NT Independent, this Government has repeatedly refused to work with us,” Mr Walsh said.
https://www.journalistsfreedom.com/nt-independent-banned/
June 15, 2020 (Media Watch ABC News)
NT government bans news website NT Independent because of an anti-ALP Facebook page run by its owner.
“Banned from seeking information? That is crazy,” said Media Watch host Paul Barry about the Gunner Government’s ban on the NT Independent.
Just a month after its opening, NT Independent was blocked by the government from attending conferences and seeking information from government departments to report to the public.
“[The NT Government needs to] lift any embargoes on providing information and accreditation to attend media events and parliamentary sittings to the journalists of NT Independent,” MEAA media president Marcus Strom said.
The ban continues despite pleas for access from both Mr Walsh and the media union.
“What the government is really scared of is NT Independent and Chris Walsh. This government doesn’t want the scrutiny of a new player,” owner Owen Pike said.
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