Crikey! Is Murdoch’s defamation case an own goal?

Defamation expert and President of the Australian Bar Association Matt Collins joins Mark Kenny and Marija Taflaga on this episode of Democracy Sausage to discuss Lachlan Murdoch’s defamation suit against Crikey and what it might mean for the future of Australian media.


Will Lachlan Murdoch’s defamation case against Private Media, a small Australian media company, do News Corp’s reputation more harm than good? Will the defendants be able to prove that the publication of the article in question was in the public interest? And are Australia’s defamation laws fit for purpose in this digital age? President of the Australian Bar Association Matt Collins AM QC joins Professor Mark Kenny and Dr Marija Taflaga on this episode of Democracy Sausage to discuss Lachlan Murdoch’s defamation action against Australian news publication Crikey.


Matthew Collins AM QC is President of the Australian Bar Association and a Senior Fellow at the Melbourne Law School. He is the author of Collins on Defamation, a leading text on the law of defamation in England and Wales, and all three editions of The Law of Defamation and the Internet, the standard international text on the application of principles of defamation law to online publications.


Marija Taflaga is the Director of ANU Centre for the Study of Australian Politics and a Lecturer at ANU School of Politics and International Relations.


Mark Kenny is a Professor at ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning HeraldThe Age, and The Canberra Times.


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