Public interest journalism should not only be protected, it should be encouraged. We have a right to know what governments do in our name, the actions of private companies, and the influence of other powerful actors. Current safeguards and exemptions in the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (Cth) (PIDA) fail to protect journalists and whistleblowers who report in the public interest from being prosecuted under espionage and secrecy laws.Journalists must be able to report on corruption, misconduct and human rights abuses inside government and powerful actors, so they can be held to account. This is critical to the functioning of an open and healthy democracy.Without public interest journalism, countless Royal Commissions might not have happened. This includes Royal Commissions following stories like the ABC's exposure of the treatment of young people in Don Dale Detention Centre, the maladministration of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, and abuse of elderly residents in aged care.