Social activist and legal academic Julian Disney took over as chair of the Australian Press Council in December 2009. His appointment followed a year of funding cuts and robust debate about the Council’s role and future. In this interview, Professor Disney talks about how he sees it ... more

Initial reservations dismissed as the UK Supreme Court unanimously agrees that the media can identify people suspected of facilitating terrorism. A “powerful general public interest” outweighs all others ... more

WA Court of Appeal says the interests of justice would not have been served by naming a male prosecution witness in a gay murder trial. The West Australian is denied leave to appeal ... more

Newer than Tom Wolfe’s New Journalism ... The forces that are sending good newspapers towards the ditch are also forging changes to what we once understood to be “journalism” ... Where does leave the poor old reptile of the press? ... Richard Ackland investigates ... more

The WA Court of Appeal has refused The West Australian and Channel Seven leave to appeal an order prohibiting the publication of a videotape showing children being abused at a Perth childcare centre ... more

Nationwide News wins its truth case against Daniel Snedden (aka Captain Dragan). After considering some “harrowing” evidence, NSW Supreme Court Justice Megan Latham concludes that the alleged Serbian war criminal is just that ... more

A NSW Supreme Court jury delivers a mixed verdict for Fairfax Media and Granville businessman Abdullah Ahmadi. It’s true he’s an extortionist, but not true he’s a people smuggler ... more

US mercenary Jonathan Keith “Jack” Idema fails in misguided attempt to sue the ABC and journalist Liz Jackson. New York District Court dismisses his action for copyright infringement and defamation over Media Watch broadcast ... more

Unpalatable review of Coco Roco restaurant defensible as comment. After four years before the courts, NSW Supreme Court Justice Ian Harrison finally finds for The Sydney Morning Herald and its then food critic Matthew Evans ... more

A case of the facts obscuring the truth? Confusion reigns as a NSW Supreme Court jury is asked to decide between two equally curly versions of events – one given by an alleged people smuggler and the other given by the man he allegedly saved ... more

Identity and identification at issue as Afghani-born businessman Abdullah Ahmadi tells a NSW Supreme Court jury he is the “Mr X” in a 2007 Sydney Morning Herald article, but he’s definitely not a people smuggler or an extortionist ... more

NSW Court of Appeal directs a verdict – again. Justices Bergin, Tobias and Sackville agree it was perverse of a jury not to find 10 of 12 imputations pleaded by Professor Bruce Hall for a Science Show program conveyed ... more

Gail Hambly has been Group General Counsel at Fairfax for sixteen years. In this interview, she shares her perspective on the past, present and future of journalism – in light of a changing media law landscape ... more

Keysar Trad’s appeal challenged … Palace Cinemas sue The Australian Financial Review and Screen Hub ... Greens MP Ian Cohen’s $1million loss … Imputations weeded out in Victoria and NSW … What sources? Bec Hewitt gets her costs … Expensive Queensland suits ... more

Sydney plastic and cosmetic surgeon Dr Peter Haertsch wins his hard-fought defamation action against Channel Nine’s A Current Affair. The jury finds all of the imputations he pleaded conveyed – and none of them true … more