“We Need a New Generation of Journalists” – Professor Johan Lidberg and Fighting the Democratic Flu. (Quick Hit)

Professor Johan Lidberg of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, held a keynote speech on the future of global surveillance and security within journalism today at Grant MacEwan University.

Lidberg covered the worrying future of journalism within Australia and the attacks on press freedom and rights by government officials.

Topics covered included the prosecution of Australian journalists, “whistleblower hunting,” and journalism centered on terrorism versus climate change.

Australia doesn’t have a charter of rights and freedoms that protects journalists from being “hunted” and they have faced unfair prosecution over refusing to disclose sources and information.

Lidberg’s solution to the problem facing press freedom within Australia is that we need a “new generation of journalists” who are transparent and engage with local audiences to encourage and foster trust during our current political climate.

Lidberg is hopeful that Australia can move towards a Media Freedom Act that will enable journalists to combat the dissolution of press freedom by asking “how far are we prepared to go in the name of security?”