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[Roger Clarke]

Just to clarify ...

The media is exempt from law in Australia.

Sorry, I should be more precise.

The media is exempt from *some* laws, and privacy is one of them.

Specifics below.

I wasn't talking about legal rights.  I was answering this question:
At 7:13 +1100 5/10/10, Richard Chirgwin wrote:
>To me, the key question in this debate is this: what moral force should
>be given to the blogger's custom of anonymity? ...

__________________________________________________________________________


http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/legis/cth/consol_act/pa1988108/s7b.html
s.7B
(4)  An act done, or practice engaged in, by a  media organisation 
is exempt for the purposes of paragraph 7(1)(ee) [i.e. from the 
entire Privacy Act] if the act is done, or the practice is engaged in:
(a)  by the organisation in the course of journalism; and
(b)  at a time when the organisation is publicly committed to observe 
standards that:
    (i)  deal with privacy in the context of the activities of a 
 media organisation  (whether or not the standards also deal with 
other matters); and
    (ii)  have been published in writing by the organisation or a 
person or body representing a class of  media   organisations .

[The Press Council, weak as it is, is sufficient to satisfy the 
'self-regulation' provision of (b).]


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/
			            
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
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Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University