Police doing their job after secrets leaked
TOO much has already been said about this week’s federal police “raids” on News Corp and the ABC, however I cannot help but conclude that much of the reaction has been ridiculous bordering on hysterical.
Yes, the images of police raiding media outlets are a little confronting but let me boil this down to one simple question: Do you believe that anyone is above the law?
Of course not. This goes for the police themselves, your favourite or least favourite politicians and yes, the media too. Lost in the nonsense was the fact the raid on the ABC only happened after staff stopped working with the police investigating a potential crime in March, and despite the theatrics, it was not a surprise either. The AFP confirmed it told the ABC that police officers were coming and even what time they would arrive.
However this did not stop veteran reporters, who have seen these events happen many times over the years, from going into full meltdown.
One scribe from the Channel 9 newspapers tweeted, “Blokes in suits searching journo computers? What happened to proper raiders in animal skins, veins in their teeth and wielding broad axes? Oh, that’s right. The suits are from the government. When suppressing a free press, best to try to look respectable.”
A former press gallery reporter screamed, “Anyone who listened or watched the AFP acting Commissioner talking about the media police raids should be more concerned than ever. The China template is at work eroding our democracy.”
The media’s outrage on Twitter was quickly picked up by the New York Times which joined the frenzy and published an opinion piece titled, “Australia May Well Be the World’s Most Secretive Democracy.”
What garbage. The police were simply doing their job and investigating a complaint that top-secret documents had been leaked.
The truth is that much of the media’s rage is pent up frustration and embarrassment after getting the election result so wrong.
That is why so many were quick to lay the boot into the Government, repeating wild claims that either Scott Morrison or Peter Dutton were behind the raids and that timing was delayed until after the election.
The AFP has dismissed both conspiracy theories but that did not stop Labor opportunists from trying to curry favour with the media and give a voice to their criticism of government.
As the rest of the country knows and the election result demonstrated, much of the media lives in a bubble and think they are the most important part of story, and dare I say in this instance, even above the law.
Well that is rubbish and the collective tantrum this week has done little to tackle the perception the media is more obsessed with itself than actually engaging with the people it purports to represent.
It reminds me of Richard Nixon’s claim at the height of Watergate, “if the President does something it is automatically not illegal”.
It was rubbish back then, and it is still rubbish today.
So I ask again, is there anyone who is above the law?
The only answer is a firm and forever, no.