Pauline Hanson’s blacklisting of some media poses a democratic risk to Australia’s political system that could take the country down an authoritarian path, according to a leading academic and journalist.
In the One Nation leader’s address to the National Press Club in June, Hanson insulted Guardian reporter Sarah Martin for questioning her on the employment of her daughter to a political advisory role, labelling her a “trashy journalist” with an “obsession” with smearing One Nation.
And at the start of August, Hanson banned the ABC, The Guardian, and The Age from attending a One Nation press conference in Melbourne, accusing the outlets of disseminating “rubbish”, “spin and lies”.
“Her actions risk normalising control over the media, particularly around picking and choosing those she allows to ask questions and cover her and her party’s activities,” Peter Greste, adjunct professor of the School of Communication and Arts at the University of Queensland and former foreign correspondent, told Central News.
“Democracy 101 says that the media’s role includes maintaining transparency and accountability over the powerful, so anything that undermines that poses a democratic risk.”
Hanson’s NPC address drew widespread condemnation, with the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) reiterating that journalists “must be provided with safe workplaces, free from abuse”, while Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young branded Hanson a “political coward”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also defended the role of media outlets like the ABC and SBS, calling them “vital roles in our democracy” following Hanson’s proposal to defund them if she forms government.
If journalists are pushed into a position where they become propagandists for politicians, we are in grave trouble.
Greste, who was jailed for over a year in Egypt while reporting for Al Jazeera on terrorism offences, said Hanson’s actions align with those seen in countries with less media freedom.
“Pauline Hanson’s ban on certain media outlets is in line with some pretty authoritarian regimes,” he added. “It is clear that in places like Turkey, Russia or China, they actively suppress critical journalism, and I am concerned her actions move us in a similar direction.”
Greste stressed the importance of maintaining journalistic independence and of guarding against propaganda.
“Politicians will always do their best to tailor their media narrative, and that’s fine, just as the media’s role is to unpick that tailoring,” he said. “It isn’t always comfortable … but that tension is what makes the system work.
“The danger I’m speaking about is suppression of critical journalism. There are other risks around the collapse of the economic models of news organisations, but I suspect our politicians and the public are coming to understand the costs of that happening.
“If journalists are pushed into a position where they become propagandists for politicians, we are in grave trouble.”
Main image from The Unshackled/Wikimedia.
