On Secrets

On June 4, Federal Police raided the home of Walkley award-winning journalist Annika Smethurst, changing her life forever.

Police claim they were investigating the publication of classified information, her employer called it a 'dangerous act of intimidation', Smethurst believes she was simply doing her job.

Smethurst became the accidental poster woman for press freedom as politicians debated the merits of police searching through her underwear drawer. In On Secrets she will discuss the impact this invasion has had on her life, and examine the importance of press freedom.

“This is a must read for anyone who believes in press freedom.”

QLD [PRINT] Courier Mail [AUDIENCE: 166,502 ASR: AUD 3,620]
In a stirring personal essay, journalist Smethurst reveals the immense toll of the AFP raid on her home last year and explains why she is happy to be the poster girl for press freedom. Lawyers Weekly [AUDIENCE : 11,783 ASR: AUD 1,602]

Annika Smethurst is the state political editor at The Age newspaper in Melbourne.

She is a double Walkley Award winner and has two Melbourne Quill Awards for political reporting. In 2019, Annika became the accidental poster woman for press freedom when her house was raided by the AFP over a story she wrote revealing a government plan to allow the Australian Signals Directorate to spy on Australians. In her 2020 essay, On Secrets, she explored the impact of the raids and examined the importance of press freedom.

She is the former national political editor of the Sunday Telegraph and Sunday Herald Sun and is a regular on ABC's Insiders program and Sky News.

On June 4, Federal Police raided the home of Walkley award-winning journalist Annika Smethurst, changing her life forever.Police claim they were investigating the publication of classified information, her employer called it a 'dangerous act of intimidation', Smethurst believes she was simply doing her job.Smethurst became the accidental poster woman for press freedom as politicians debated the merits of police searching through her underwear drawer. In On Secrets she will discuss the impact this invasion has had on her life, and examine the importance of press freedom.

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