Knowing about refugees

Issue 

BY JONATHAN STRAUSS

SYDNEY — The public's right to know about asylum seekers is being limited by the major parties' agreement on the issue, Peter McEvoy, producer and journalist for the recent ABC Four Corners program on the refugee detention centres, told the October 26 opening forum of the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism's inaugural Public Right to Know conference.

McEvoy said the government, backed by the opposition, was trying to apply media control like it did for war. Another paper presented at the conference, by Wendy Bilboe, showed that many media reports of the issue simply reproduce the government's media releases without question.

Other forum speakers included journalism academic Chris Nash, magistrate and Aboriginal rights activist Pat O'Shane, acting centre director Wendy Bacon, constitutional lawyer Patrick Keyzer, Australian National Council of Refugee Women representative Juliana Nkrumah and Woomera detainee pro bono lawyers Tirana Hassan and Jeremy Moore.

The conference heard 50 presentations on legal, economic, social and political aspects of journalists' and the public's right to know. Topics included protesters and free speech, privacy, government powers, commercial in confidence exemption and the exclusion from the establishment media of the voices of the non-English speaking communities of Western Sydney.

From Green Left Weekly, November 7, 2001.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.

If you like our work, become a supporter

Green Left is a vital social-change project and aims to make all content available online, without paywalls. With no corporate sponsors or advertising, we rely on support and donations from readers like you.

For just $5 per month get the Green Left digital edition in your inbox each week. For $10 per month get the above and the print edition delivered to your door. You can also add a donation to your support by choosing the solidarity option of $20 per month.

Freecall now on 1800 634 206 or follow the support link below to make a secure supporter payment or donation online.