Alliance for Journalists' Freedom

03/07/2026

A free press is essential to a healthy democracy. Governments cannot expect public trust while detaining journalists without due process. By keeping journalists behind bars for more than 18 months without publicly presenting credible evidence, the Bangladeshi government weakens media freedom, undermines confidence in the rule of law, and damages the democratic institutions it has pledged to uphold.

The Alliance for Journalists' Freedom stands with the Commonwealth Journalists Association in calling for the immediate review of the cases involving Shyamal Dutta, Mozammel Haq Babu, Farzana Rupa, and Shakil Ahmed. Their continued detention, the absence of publicly presented evidence, and serious concerns about their treatment and access to medical care demand urgent action.

Journalists must be free to investigate and report without fear of retaliation, arbitrary detention, or persecution. Governments must handle allegations against journalists transparently, fairly, and in accordance with due process. When they fail to do so, they erode press freedom, weaken public trust, and diminish the public's right to know.

https://ruralmedianetworkpk.org/commonwealth-journalists-call-for-release-of-detained-bangladesh-journalists-ahead-of-court-hearing/

02/07/2026

Australia is the world's only liberal democracy without legal or constitutional protection for press freedom enshrined in a bill of rights.

Democracy depends on Australians having access to trusted, independent journalism. That's why the Alliance for Journalists' Freedom is proud to stand with the Democracy Counts campaign to call on parliamentarians to invest in public interest journalism and strengthen the institutions that safeguard our democracy.

23/06/2026

A healthy democracy depends on quality journalism. But journalists can’t report on the stories that matter if they aren’t being paid. The News Bargaining Incentive is a chance to support public interest journalism in Australia. Add your name to the open letter: https://democracycounts.org.au/news-bargaining-incentive

18/06/2026

The 2026 Digital News Report is a wake-up call.

For the first time, social media has overtaken news websites and apps as the main source of news.

One in ten people now use AI chatbots to get news, almost a quarter rely on creators and influencers, and trust in news remains at record lows.

The way people consume information has changed. They still want trustworthy information, but the challenge is knowing who to trust.

That's why the AJF is developing Journalism Australia: a professional association that champions ethical, accountable and rigorous standards, and is open to anyone producing content that meets those values.

Members will be able to display a trust mark on their work, making it easier for Australians to identify information that has been researched, verified, and produced to professional standards.

Journalism is bigger than any one platform or format. If we want to rebuild trust, we need to bring together journalists in all their forms and give audiences a clearer way to recognise credible information.

https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2026/dnr-executive-summary

05/06/2026

Peter Greste, the Executive Director for the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom, spoke before a Senate inquiry on Wednesday on proposed amendments to Australia's secrecy laws.

The federal government’s complex reform package seeks to repeal or remove criminal penalties from roughly 300 lower-level secrecy provisions, replacing them with a single general secrecy offence, while also changing the threshold for what counts as a breach of secrecy.

Australia has introduced more than 130 national security laws in the two decades following the September 11 attacks of 2001 — more than any other country on earth.

The amendments are a positive step, but the government still needs to make changes to both the secrecy laws and other transparency mechanisms like a Whistleblower Protection Authority, robust Freedom of Information legislation, and a Media Freedom Bill. Only then will we have a robust political system.

Read the full article here: https://aapnews.aap.com.au/glance/news/secrecy-laws-face-tough-pathway-through-senate?section=top-stories

10/04/2026

The upcoming appeal in the Game Meats copyright case is one of the most consequential media-law moments in years.

Last year, a court ruled that footage of alleged animal cruelty - secretly recorded by the animal rights group Farm Transparency while trespassing on the company’s property - belonged not to the people who filmed it, but to the abattoir itself. The logic: because the footage was captured during an unlawful act, the “owner" was effectively Game Meats, and the advocacy group could not claim copyright or publish the material.

The Alliance for Journalists Freedom will be appearing in the court to argue that the implications for media freedom are huge.

If upheld on appeal, this precedent could allow any individual or company to claim ownership of material recorded while someone was trespassing, breaching privacy, or otherwise acting unlawfully - even when the footage exposes serious wrongdoing. That would obstruct public-interest reporting, expose anyone who gathers that kind of material, and give powerful actors a new tool to block scrutiny.

The May appeal is now a critical test of how Australian courts balance property rights, copyright law, and the public’s right to know.

Finding set to have significant implications for the use of covertly recorded footage by media outlets to expose wrongdoing

03/04/2026

Journalist Shelly Kittleson was abducted in Baghdad earlier this week. According to the Coalition for Women in Journalism (XFQIJ), unidentified armed men grabbed the American journalist near the Green Zone, and a police investigation is now underway. One suspect has been arrested and security forces have launched what they call a “surge operation”.

The AJF joins the CFWIJ and other press freedom groups in calling for Kelly’s release. Her abduction is a grave attack on press freedom in a place that desperately needs witnesses. Journalists are not bargaining chips. They can never be instruments of leverage and kidnapping a journalist does not advance any cause. It erodes it. It silences scrutiny; weakens accountability; and clouds the truth.

Credible sources indicate that the kidnappers may be militias aligned with Iran. The political realities are serious, so the response must be stronger.

We call on governments, multilateral institutions, media organisations, and civil society to act publicly and decisively to secure Shelly’s release. Now.

Police in Iraq say they are searching for an American journalist who has been kidnapped in Baghdad, possibly by an Iranian-backed militia group.

02/04/2026

The Albanese government has introduced a bill that, if passed, would significantly reform Australia’s deep culture of secrecy and improve the ability of journalists to report on the inner workings of government.

On Wednesday (April 1), the government introduced the Secrecy Provisions Amendment (Repealing Offences) Bill 2026, which removes criminal liability from more than 300 secrecy offences. That represents more than a third of Commonwealth secrecy provisions that currently attract criminal sanction.

The Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom recognises the need for the government to protect genuinely sensitive information, but it has long argued that Australia’s deep culture of secrecy unnecessarily undermines democratic accountability and transparency.

The bill writes into law an earlier directive that required prosecutors to seek ministerial consent before prosecuting a journalist.

The AJF’s Executive Director Peter Greste said, “While the AJF is concerned that this risks politicising a decision to take a journalist to court, it is still likely to help press freedom. This is because the government of the day will have to weigh up the political consequences of going after a journalist.

“Australia’s overly complicated web of secrecy provisions has made it both difficult and dangerous for journalists and others to speak out about corruption, mismanagement and abuses of power. While there is still more work to be done to make reforms we think are necessary, this is an important step forward, and we want to acknowledge the government’s commitment.”

“At least part of the problem is that Australia has no constitutional protection for press freedom. We believe the solution is an overarching Media Freedom Act that would write that principle into our legislation. We have also called for the reform of Freedom of Information and Whistleblower laws and both still need significant work.”

The AJF is an advocacy group that campaigns for the freedom of journalists to perform their democratic role in investigating the powerful, and holding them to account.

For further information, contact the AJF on [email protected] or [email protected].

The Albanese government has introduced a bill that, if passed, would significantly reform Australia’s deep culture of secrecy and improve the ability of journalists to report on the inner workings of government.

19/03/2026

The AJF's Executive Director, Peter Greste, spoke at the Australian Institute of International Affairs in Queensland last night on the global assault on journalism.

Press freedom is under sustained threat. Last year alone, 129 journalists were killed and hundreds more jailed, as governments weaponise laws and courts to silence scrutiny. The global media environment is becoming more dangerous as political pressure, censorship, and intimidation accelerate worldwide.

Australia is not immune. With no constitutional protection for press freedom, a highly concentrated media landscape, and growing legal and political pressures, public interest journalism is increasingly constrained. When journalism weakens, accountability follows. This isn't just a media issue - it's a democracy issue.

Thanks for the photos Stefan Armbruster & Rhoen Kennedy

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/stefan-armbruster-b77bb846_peter-greste-at-the-aiia-in-brisbane-last-activity-7439842349788307456-ahyg?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAADyPrXIBcUQERRy1c7mav4gJfjQ47gJ7syA