This is a complex question. Much depends on the ownership structure of the media company, and several have statements on the independence of the editorial board. All the same, there was mention of a culture of upward referral, with journalistic training and investigation being done with permission from management: “Intervention is subtle – but it exists. Sometimes it is self-imposed”. Historically, Australia has been known for its hands-on media owners, notably Rupert Murdoch and the late Kerry Packer (see Josephi, 2011). While Murdoch publicly maintains that he does not interfere with the decisions of his editors (Chessell, 2010), there is a great deal of evidence that indicates intervention by the Murdoch family (Guthrie, 2010; Milovanovic, 2010). The allocation of only one point is to emphasise that, while some media companies have statements of editorial independence, others show evidence of owners exerting influence on their media companies.
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