The Overton window of media crackdown is shifting

Is Australia becoming more hostile to journalists?

Yes, there were two raids this week against the ABC newsroom and against a journalist's home related to stories published from leaked government documents. Now it's legitimate to investigate a leak but it's usually done on the leak side, not on the journalist's side. (Also, the information they published — allegations of war crimes and potential increased surveillance powers — were undoubtedly in the public interest and investigating those seems far more important. The police say public interest is up to the prosecutor to weigh and does not impact the opening of an investigation or pressing of charges.) It just seemed a massive overreaction in the method. And we've seen similar raids this spring in France and in Northern Ireland. I find it concerning that this is coming from liberal democracies. What we're seeing is that as public discourse against journalists gets more and more hostile, the Overton window of what is acceptable behavior from democracies on the press is shifting further away from freedom of the press. I find that concerning.

Should the New York Times allow its reporters on opinionated cable shows?

Not according to its leadership, who pulled one reporter from the Rachel Maddow Show this past weekend because they consider it to be too far on the left. I appreciate and sympathize with the New York Times' desire to maintain its reputation. It seems in several recent decisions that they think they're in a gentlemen's war with reasonable people, lined up in the field while everyone else is fighting a guerrilla war. It's honorable but in the end you lose. Put your reporters on every show that will have them, as long as the producers don't edit your words out of context, and trust your reporters to share the facts and be truthful.

Should reporters speak on TV regardless of the show's slant? Are you concerned about government action against the press? Or not at all? Share in the comments.

Follow GZero Media to catch this and other In 60 Seconds series: Ian Bremmer on the world, Sallie Krawcheck on money, Nick Thompson on tech, Ben White on US politics, Adam Grant on work, Chris Hadfield on space, Kai-fu Lee on AI and Carl Bildt on Europe.