Australian Federal Police raid ABC headquarters at Sydney's Ultimo

The raid comes the day after Australian Federal Police raided the home of News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst in connection with a 2018 story she authored concerning top-secret plans to expand surveillance of Australian citizens.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday said whe was not troubled by a federal police raid on the home Ms Smethurst, arguing all Australians must abide by national security laws.

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An Australian TV station has been raided by police over a story alleging special forces had been involved in the unlawful killing of civilians in Afghanistan.

Federal police targeted the Sydney head offices of ABC, the country's national public broadcaster, in relation to a 2017 report named The Afghan Files.

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Lyons, who is also ABC's head of investigative journalism, tweeted Wednesday that the police warrant allows police to "add, copy, delete or alter" material on ABC's computers.
The police seized several documents but agreed to seal them for two weeks in order to give the ABC time to appeal the warrant, he added.
The raids on Smethurst were reportedly related to a 2018 article suggesting Australia's spy agency was looking to broaden its surveillance powers. Smethurst is national politics editor at the Sunday Telegraph and other newspapers owned by News Corp (NWS), billionaire Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate.
News Corp Australia did not respond to a request for comment, but said in a statement to CNN affiliate SBS on Wednesday that the raid was "outrageous and heavy handed."
"This raid demonstrates a dangerous act of intimidation towards those committed to telling uncomfortable truths," a spokesperson said.

Gaughan rejected those accusations, saying the media "plays an important role in today's society in keeping this community informed."
"I reject the claim over the last few days that we are trying to intimidate journalists or conduct a campaign against media," he added.
Gaughan's comments echo those of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison earlier in the week.
Morrison said the country "believes strongly in the freedom of the press," in comments posted on his official website.
"There are also clear rules protecting Australia's national security and everybody should operate in accordance with all of those laws," Morrison added.
The raids have sparked outrage from journalists and watchdog groups.

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Andy Travis said:

This also plays into the current Australian government's long held agenda against the ABC and continued attempts to cut its funding. The Liberal Party's narrative is that the ABC is unduly biased against them.

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MELBOURNE, Australia — It was a scoop that shook Australia’s political and military worlds to the core: a leaked report in 2017 about possible unlawful killings by soldiers in Afghanistan.

Two years later, the story and its fallout are part of a case that has ignited a furious debate in Australia about media freedom, protections for whistleblowers and the extent of laws that claim to safeguard national security.

“It’s not just about the media,” said John Lyons, the executive news editor at the Australian Broadcasting Corp., the country’s main public television and radio outlet.

“It’s about any person out there who wants to tell the media about a bad hospital, or a school that’s not working, or a corrupt local council. The message from the [Australian Federal Police] to all of those people is: Watch out, because we will be able to find out who you are and we will come after you.”

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