Boys in blue raid Perth's Sunday Times - 2 views

• 
  #1 Olivia Chang on 02 Sep 09

   

  Story URL:
  http://www.somebodythinkofthechildren.com/boys-in-blue-raid-perths-sunday-times/
  
  Summary of the article:
  
  In February, a Sunday Times reporter Paul Lampathakis wrote an article about a 16 million dollar advertising bill for taxpayers to "help" get the WA government re-elected. It also quoted "government sources'' who said the money was to be spent on strategic advertising campaigns ahead of an impending election.
  
  Following his story, the Department of Premier and Cabinet made a complaint and 16 police offers were given a warrant to raid the offices of The Sunday Times in Perth.
  The police searched for documents related to the article and interviewed the editor for almost an hour.
  The detective in charge of the operation said "It is part of an ongoing investigation in relation to potential breaches of the secrecy provisions of the criminal code,'
  
  This incident is an outrage amongst members of the press, saying that it goes against the code of free press, bringing to mind the rigid control of Cuba or Russia.
  
  Ethical Questions and Problems:
  
  Just to what extent should the press be given freedom of speech, is it not the duty of the journalist to expose such political schemes? (c.f the Fourth Estate)
  
  Is it ethical for the journalist to have misused secret or confidential information that might jeopardise national security?

   

  <div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Story URL: <br /> <a href="http://www.somebodythinkofthechildren.com/boys-in-blue-raid-perths-sunday-times/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.somebodythinkofthechildren.com/boys-in-blue-raid-perths-sunday-times/</a> <br /> <br /> Summary of the article: <br /> <br /> In February, a Sunday Times reporter Paul Lampathakis wrote an article about a 16 million dollar advertising bill for taxpayers to "help" get the WA government re-elected. It also quoted "government sources'' who said the money was to be spent on strategic advertising campaigns ahead of an impending election. <br /> <br /> Following his story, the Department of Premier and Cabinet made a complaint and 16 police offers were given a warrant to raid the offices of The Sunday Times in Perth. <br /> The police searched for documents related to the article and interviewed the editor for almost an hour. <br /> The detective in charge of the operation said "It is part of an ongoing investigation in relation to potential breaches of the secrecy provisions of the criminal code,' <br /> <br /> This incident is an outrage amongst members of the press, saying that it goes against the code of free press, bringing to mind the rigid control of Cuba or Russia. <br /> <br /> Ethical Questions and Problems: <br /> <br /> Just to what extent should the press be given freedom of speech, is it not the duty of the journalist to expose such political schemes? (c.f the Fourth Estate) <br /> <br /> Is it ethical for the journalist to have misused secret or confidential information that might jeopardise national security?</div>

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