SFO stance 'sends message'

National Business Review publisher Barry Colman. Photo / Dean Purcell

The Serious Fraud Office's demand that the National Business Review hand over confidential information sends a "very strong message" that government departments are willing to use tough tactics against the media, a journalism lecturer says.

AUT University journalism head Martin Hirst said the SFO's demand that NBR provide information collected for a story on South Canterbury Finance and its links with the Hyatt Regency hotel raised many ethical questions for the field of journalism.

"It puts a newspaper in a very difficult position. For a journalist some things may ethically be right but not protected by law. Source confidentiality is one of those ethical principles enshrined in the code of ethics."

Media commentator Gavin Ellis said the SFO had powers that were "really very sweeping".

"Every time a state agency utilises the information-collecting facilities of a news media organisation to do its work for it, that is a matter of real concern," Ellis said.

Ellis said that although information was handed over, he was pleased that no sources had been compromised.

University of Canterbury journalism head Jim Tully said it would seem the NBR had the freedom to publish the story but there are consequences to that freedom.

"Are media organisations prepared to argue that the SFO shouldn't have these powers when it is in the business of, hopefully, bringing to book serious fraud? That's a major challenge for the media to respond to."