LIVESTREAM Legal Hour: Freedom of the Press

Tune in to hear from an expert panel of UNSW alumni offering insights on some of our most complex legal issues.

Panellists:

• Connie Carnabuci (BCom/LLB'86) – General Counsel, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• Nicholas Gray (BCom/LLB'97) – Managing Director, The Australian, NSW & Prestige Titles: News Corp.
• Hugh Marks (BCom/LLB'90) – CEO and Director, Nine Network Limited
• Scientia Professor George Williams AO – Dean, UNSW Law

The focus of this event is ‘Freedom of the Press’ – an area for which Australian law does not currently provide clear and unambiguous protection. This was highlighted last year when, in June 2019, police raided the offices of the ABC as well as the private home of a News Corporation employee to determine the sources of leaked information.

The expert panel will discuss critical questions about the rights of journalists and their sources, the importance of press freedom to democracy, and whether ‘public interest’ is always a clear cut defence. These questions have new and greater significance now, during the international health and economic crisis that is COVID-19. What are the media’s rights and responsibilities in this unique context and are our media regulations fit for the purpose?