Snap Media on NTG Gag Order

(A) from Snap Media joined Baini on the show this morning to discuss the recent gag order that the Northern Territory Government has put out on the publication’s media inquiries. Snap media is an independent news and media source based in Darwin. The publication covers political issues in the NT and presents them to the public via their substack or on instagram. Over the weekend, (A) discovered that the CLP Government has issued a gag order directed at Snap, meaning they have been excluded from press conferences and denied any responses to media enquiries. (A) recounted that the issues started when Snap Media questioned the appointment of the Chief Administrator and has since received the cold shoulder by the NTG’s media departments. The reason given, according to (A), is that Snap Media are not considered journalists and have instead been labelled activists. This has resulted in reduced access to the same information that other media has been afforded. “Most people who know me know that I’ve been working as a photo journalist in the NT for the last 6 years... I’ve never hidden what my politics are and I definitely don’t hide away from the fact that equality in our society should not be a left or right issue.” (A) pointed to the various difficulties that journalists face in covering news stories across the NT and explained that Snap Media started as a place to be able to capture the stories that legacy media weren’t able to. “By kiboshing that, we take away scrutiny of the Government, we take away the ability to hold powerful to account, and we take away the public’s interest.” Snap Media will continue to forge ahead with writing articles and scrutinising NT politics, but (A) now has “serious concerns” about the public’s right to know and how NT media will respond to a government that is handpicking who it will speak to.Support the show: https://8ccc.com.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.