Freedom of the Press

I find it very interesting to read articles from various "respected" members of the journalistic community referring to the loss of the right to freedom of the press and freedom of speech with regards to the proposed terror laws and sedition laws.

They write articles to stir the emotions of the public and to say that if the laws get passed then the people of Australia will not be able to be informed like the were in the "good old days". What we effectively have are hacks bleating about the loss of THEIR rights.

These people have never given much of a rats arse about what the public had to say, nor have they had the common decency to report all the facts all the time without dribbling in a bit/lot of their own political slant in order to get THEIR personal agendum into the public eye.

For far too many years, every daily newspaper has put their versions of stories to print (as with the televisual and radio media) but have allowed absolutely NO right of reply to the vast majority with regards to their "reporting". My dear Editors: YOU are the sedition laws that you complain about. YOU are the loss of the right of freedom of speech that you fear you will lose!

What about MY right of free speech? What about MY right to say that I disapprove of the actions of a minority group without it being labelled as a racial slur? Why am I not allowed to reply in print to an editorial comment where the writer clearly has no idea about the facts? Why am I not allowed to comment in print about the bad behaviour or Un-Australian activities of those who govern us?

Journalists refer to Freedom of Information? There was no such thing in this country anyway! If there was anything that was even remotely delicate or could somehow have caused some politician to lose the next election, they would enact some sort of Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card that would allow their corruption to be swept under the carpet.

Where were the journalists and editors when the laws of every state were changed so that the basic tenet of the Westminster System of guilt needing to be proven was removed from every single individual in this country with a drivers licence? If you think you were caught unfairly by a revenue collector *oops*, I mean 'Speed Camera', and you go to court to contest it - you are deemed guilty and you must prove your innocence. Where was the media outcry when this went through?

THEN we have an article from the Gold Coast Bulletin passing comment about democratic behaviour & are trying to make the poor little journalists seem like the downtrodden heroes of the people. That the government want to restrict the flow of information to the people. HA! The GCB should not be throwing any stones in that glass house!

It is true though that these proposed laws are a danger to all people in this country who have an opinion to express (like myself) but to have the bottom-feeding, sea of ineptitude that passes for media and (dis)information in this country trying to champion the cause? Just how loud can you agree with someone while recognising their hypocrisy?