NSW Coroner … Australian Press Council and ACMA urged to develop guidelines for media in reporting mass casualty incidents … Follows inquest into April 2024 murder of six individuals at Westfield Bondi Junction … Family and friends give evidence of intrusions into grief and privacy … Editor Stephen Murray reports … more
Category: Media Matters
Lattouf v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Penalty)
Federal Court of Australia … ABC ordered to pay Antoinette Lattouf $150,000 in penalties for contraventions of the Fair Work Act and ABC Enterprise Agreement … Followed finding that ABC had unlawfully dismissed Lattouf for expressions of political opinion … Seriousness of conduct … Failure to investigate leak to The Australian … Editor Stephen Murray reports … more
ACMA report on combating disinformation and misinformation
Australian Media and Communications Authority … Report on efforts by digital platforms to combat misinformation and disinformation … Engagement of third party fact checkers has stalled … Decline in removals of content for breaching guidelines … Development of media literacy standards … Editor Stephen Murray reports … more
Antoinette Lattouf v Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Federal Court of Australia … Justice Darryl Rangiah hears submissions on penalty for ABC’s contraventions of Fair Work Act and Enterprise Agreement in terminating employment of Antoinette Lattouf … Cross-examination of ABC’s Chief People Officer … Lattouf calls for $350,000 penalty … ABC says dismissal a “perfect storm” and a “one off” … Editor Stephen Murray reports … more
Lattouf v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (No 2)
Federal Court of Australia … Federal Court rules journalist Antoinette Lattouf was unfairly dismissed by the ABC … Followed removal from on-air fill in stint on ABC Radio Sydney over social media post on Israel/Gaza war … Decision to terminate employment in response to concerted pro-Israel lobbying and imminent adverse media coverage … Courts Editor Stephen Murray reports … more
Spotlight on McClintock
Former defamation silk takes the podium … Speech and fielding questions in clubland … Jabs at enemies … Why fewer punters are suing … Cross-examining journalists … Fun cases … When not to sue … From Richard Ackland … more
Pauline Hanson v Lidia Thorpe and Nine Network Australia
Legal letters from Senator Pauline Hanson’s lawyers to Senator Lidia Thorpe and the Nine Network … Followed Today interview in which Thorpe referred to Hanson as a “convicted racist” … Hanson sought withdrawal and apology … Nine Network posts clarification … Courts Editor Stephen Murray reports … more
No more Rivers of Gold
Australia is among the most concentrated media markets in the world … Economic dominance in key sectors … NBN and its consequences … Google and Meta occupy top spots in the top ten … Rob Nicholls breaks down the report into concentration of media and communications … more
Preserving the digital archive
Sustainability of digital archives … Legal issues … Loss of valuable MTV News content … The Wayback Machine … Accessibility to the past … National Library of Australia … Data storage … Environmental and financial costs … Veronica Lenard reports … more
Antoinette Lattouf v Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Fair Work Commission … ABC terminated employment relationship with casual radio presenter Antoinette Lattouf … Termination came after Lattouf shared Instagram post from human rights NGO commenting on Israel/Gaza War … Relationship ended when Lattouf taken off air and given no more work … Courts Editor Stephen Murray reports … more
Southey v Butler
NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal … Transgender activist loses transgender vilification claim against Herald-Sun … Argued article about female inmates petition against transgender inmate amounted to vilification … Article did not convey that transgender people as a class were a threat … Courts Editor Stephen Murray reports … more
Buying Silence
Oligarchs and plutocrats versus the media … The crushing appeal of SLAPP actions … Goldsmith, Maxwell and now the Russians … Lawyers and the money … Important stories that are never published … British media lawyer David Hooper suggests useful reforms … Book review by Veronica Lenard … more