An $8,000 Gag Visa; so much for freedom of speech

[***super_nova***]

The Nauru parliament has endorsed a 3,900 per cent increase in the visa application fee for journalists – making it prohibitively expensive for the media to report from the Pacific island republic where Australia now detains hundreds of asylum seekers who arrive by boat.

Under the new fee structure, which is expected to come into force this week, it will cost media professionals $8,000 to apply for a single-entry visa valid for up to three months. The money would not be refunded even if the application were rejected.

Presently, journalists can apply for a subclass of business visa for media workers. The Nauru government website
says the fee is $200.

http://www.theglobalmail.org/feature/an-8000-gag-visa/804/

[icyfroth]

Well maybe that will mean that media outlets will send their most senior and experience journos and not a bunch of sensationalist hacks.

[boris1gary]

That wouldn't leave many.

[lakeland27]

it wouldn't leave any at all.  

[freakiness]

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@icyfroth wrote:

Well maybe that will mean that media outlets will send their most senior and experience journos and not a bunch of sensationalist hacks.

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That's who goes now. Senior and sensationalist are not mutually exclusive.

[the_hawk*]

its just a way of control to stopping the media from reporting whats happening to prevent public outrage

[ca04]

On the other side of the coin maybe it will stop some of the "clients?" from grandstanding if no one will be covering it for public broadcast? 

[cherry*135]

People with mobile phones can take photos (of anything untoward) and send them to other countries in the world in secs, no Govt can control that.