And finally tonight to that what Australians like to call: keeping the bastards honest.

And a new law that will make it much harder for journalists to do that job :

A belated, but increasingly angry, reaction from the media has forced both the government and opposition to cave in and offer some protection to journalists and their sources from data retention. — Crikey, 17th March, 2015

Three weeks ago we took a hard look at the Data Retention Bill, which requires telephone and internet companies to collect metadata on all their customers and keep it for two years, so police and security services can see what we've been up to.

It's designed of course to catch terrorists. But it will also make it easier for police to track down whistleblowers, even when there is no threat to security, and it's stuff the public has a right to know.

And, as the Australian Federal Police admitted last week , chasing whistleblowers has recently been keeping them very busy:

... over the past 18 months, the AFP has received 13 referrals relating to the alleged unauthorised disclosure of Commonwealth information in breach of section 70 of the Crimes Act. — Australian Federal Police, 17th March, 2015

In most of these cases, the AFP claims, it did not have to go after the reporter.

In the overwhelming majority of these investigations, no need was identified to conduct a metadata telecommunications inquiry on a journalist. — Australian Federal Police, 17th March, 2015

But is that really any comfort?

Last week, the Data Retention bill got through the House of Reps, and it's better than was feared. But not by much.

JON LAWRENCE: They have made what we would argue is a pretty terrible piece of legislation much less worse. — SBS News, 19th March, 2015

The good news is that police and agencies like ASIC and the ACCC will need a court order to access journalists' data ... So they will have to convince a judge to give them a warrant.

The bad news is that it will almost certainly make no difference because leaking government information is a crime and judges will likely be happy to help.

According to legal expert Professor George Williams:

If journalists write the kind of stories they've done in the past, that can give rise to serious criminal sanctions, then it's hard to see how the authorities won't be granted a warrant. — George Williams, Professor of Law, UNSW, 19th March, 2015

Another legal expert who has followed it closely, Dr Matthew Rimmer at the ANU's College of Law, is even less convinced

I don't see how this regime protects journalists ... In some ways it could make surveillance of journalists the norm ... — Matthew Rimmer, Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, 19th March, 2015

Neither journalists nor their employers will be able to contest these warrants in court, because applications will all be made in secret.

And if the media find out about them they can't kick up a fuss, because Section 182A of the new law offers up to two years in jail if you reveal that a warrant exists, does not exist or has been applied for or revoked.

This, says Dr Rimmer, is:

... an incredible provision, which really highlights the fact that these amendments do the very opposite of what was promised in relation to press freedom. — Matthew Rimmer, Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, 19th March, 2015

The supposed safeguards were introduced to get Labor Party support for the new Data Retention law and to hose down protests from the media.

And in that regard the government's also been forced to agree that a public interest advocate selected by the Prime Minister, should be in court to argue for journalistic freedom.

But frankly, we can't see judges taking much notice of that. And nor can the journalists' union:

PAUL MURPHY: A government-appointed public interest advocate to argue about a government application for data, in secret, behind closed doors, is not something that gives us confidence. — SBS News, 19th March, 2015

Even if the safeguards do work better than expected, they won't protect bloggers and citizen journalists-because police won't need a warrant for them-and they won't make life safe for whistleblowers, because leaking government information will still be a crime, and the police will still be coming after them and their metadata.

And that says Matthew Rimmer makes the safeguards utterly inadequate.

Protecting journalists by themselves is insufficient if you can't protect the whistleblowers and sources and people who wish to talk to them. This bill rides roughshod over civil liberties, individual freedoms and privacy ... It's a dark day for human rights and press freedom. — Matthew Rimmer, Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, 19th March, 2015

And the government's former national security monitor, Bret Walker, is almost as gloomy, telling Media Watch:

The very serious policy which isn't addressed by this law is whether, as a society, we want effective shield laws for journalists and comprehensive whistleblower legislation. They are really big issues which are really not addressed at all by this law or current laws. — Bret Walker, SC, 20th March, 2015

We believe it's time they were addressed. But sadly there's little chance of either major party doing any such thing.

And before go we'd like to say farewell to The Hoopla, a feisty colourful website for women, which aimed to:

find original material from the best opinion writers and pay them for their labours — The Hoopla, 23rd March, 2015

Today, co-founder Wendy Harmer told her readers the sad news that The Hoopla was being forced to shut up shop

in the face of enormous and radical change in the online space, we are unable to keep operating in our present form ... the online media game in Australia is evolving at dizzying speed and increasingly becoming one for players with very deep pockets.... Often the content offered is from writers and interns who work for free; reprinted from other sites or blogs and, increasingly, material under licence from the taxpayer-funded ABC. — The Hoopla, 23rd March, 2015

It's sad to see it go. So many that survive have so much less to offer.

And you can read more about tonight's stories on our website, where you can see a full statement from Fairfax Media or get a transcript and download the program.

You can also catch up with us on iview and contact me or Media Watch on Twitter.

But for now until next week that's all from us. Goodbye.