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A comment on Australia’s surprising disregard for free speech. Parent comment

Re:Australia’s surprising disregard for free speech by stareatgoats on Sunday June 16, 2019 @04:18AM (#20194448)
Freedom of expression and the right of government to retaliate against whistle-blowers do not seem such different subjects to me. They are at least highly interconnected, in what seems to me a fundamental aspect of democracy: that it allows for an informed public to make their decision through the ballot.

That doesn't mean that those freedoms need to be absolutely unfettered, but limits on them need to be transparent and well motivated.

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Re:Australia’s surprising disregard for free speech by sonnyblarney on Sunday June 16, 2019 @04:44AM (#20194542)
They are obviously overlapping, but they are definitely different due to the nature of disclosure:

The press will be able to disclose otherwise 'privileged/private' information that one wouldn't be able to otherwise publish in terms of 'free speech', if for example it's evidence of a crime.

i.e. 'classified material' doesn't fall under 'free speech'. You can't just publish that stuff willy nilly.

But if some of that material betrays evidence of a crime, then it's 'fair game' in most modern jurisdictions it seems.

The difference between the 'press' and 'everyone else' is, in 2019 still super vague, specifically in the relevant area of being compelled to testify about sources etc. at least in the US, there's no clarity in the law, and some conflicting rulings.

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