AUSTRALIA: SYDNEY: It is becoming apparent that the Daily Telegraph and The Australian are not breaching anti terrorism laws of strict censorship on investigation matters by our security agencies here in Australia by the pretext of not actually publishing real information. Rather they are publishing false or very deceptive stories deliberately. My preliminary view as a lawyer would be that might be public mischief, it might be actionable defamation, it might be cynical politiks but a fictional story about terrorism investigations almost certainly won’t be a breach of anti terrorism laws to maintain the covert operations of the spooks and the police.

Indeed at the time of their passing a year or so back I specifically raised in my cynical (based on experience) way here on IMC the concern that real information was censored but fictional ‘news’ stories probably were not legally censored and could be used as a weapon on their critics by News Ltd and Big Govt . I think we are effectively seeing this being played out.

How rat cunning is that to promote ones real politik agendas to unelect the Iemma Govt, to promote pro Iraq war Howard, or indeed cover one’s shame over that Iraq disaster, and to stir up ethnic or even gender sensitivities to sell more newspapers?

Here’s the logic and the evidence. I haven’t tracked down all the original material or links but it’s all there on the public record somewhere.

You may recall, dear reader, alarm from the civil society groups about ‘a secret state’ and ‘breach of free speech norms’ in a democracy relating to strict rules of censorship over the anti terrorism investigations of the intelligence and security agencies – such as Australian Federal Police, NSW Police, Australian Security Intelligence Agency, and a range of others (there is a 16 page booklet about these guys apparently you may be able to source via the Inspector General of Intelligence who is a watchdog.

 http://sydney.indymedia.org/node/39651

Related:

Torture in Yeman?

 http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/11/129114_comment.php#129158

I'll be back? They hate being wrong, but no shame either

 http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/11/129136_comment.php#129251

New South Wales Police Minister John Watkins says he cannot comment on the validity of a press report that two Australians arrested in Yemen were being investigated last year over a plot to bomb Sydney's Kings Cross Station?