It is unusual for us to place a story in our Top Spot that has no connection with our country or the Caribbean.

However, it is unusual for a legitimate democratic nation like Australia to act as they have done today when police raided the offices of one of the leading public broadcasters ABC. There were two reporters and the news director named in the warrants.

It has resulted in an outcry from broadcasters and rights group all over the world.

ABC Managing Director David Anderson said the police raid “raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press”.

When these actions concern the ABC’s investigative report they published about the 2017 investigative series known as The Afghan Files which “revealed allegations of unlawful killings and misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan”, it smacks much of what the Caribbean Conference on anti-corruption is championing.

The reasons behind the raid by the Australian Police is in relation to “allegations of publishing classified material” and that it “relates to a referral received on 11 July 2017 from the Chief of the Defence Force and the then-Acting Secretary for Defence”.

The warrant gives the police extraordinary powers to “add, copy, delete or alter” material in the ABC’s computers. In other words they can delete anything they like with impunity.

It was only last month, May 3^rd, we celebrated World Press Freedom Day when a new report by an international media watchdog group said press freedoms deteriorated in 2019, fueled in part by increasing aggression toward journalists.

Whilst some of the attacks on the US Press, in particular by PresidentTrump via Twitter being his only way to fight back at the clearly biased reporting against him, can be justified, the warrants giving police wide powers to raid offices of the press and arrest journalist going about their job, cannot.

Just recently, according to Reporters Without Borders’ (RWR)measurement, just 9 percent of the world’s population now lives in countries where journalists can operate freely and independently. Australia was identified as one of those countries.

RWR are saying, there are now “violent actions against journalists, even in places where press freedom has historically been strong.”

“Over the past few years, internet shutdowns have become commonplace, and authoritarian regimes increasingly use sophisticated surveillance technologies (often supplied by companies based in democratic countries) to track down their critics. Ever stricter controls on internet usage have also affected citizens’ ability to consume and share information.”

Unless the public join in would wide with the journalists and strongly denounce this wave against press freedom it will become a tsunami. And we don’t want one of those to hit here!