BHP tried to rush Michael West Media and injured coal miner Simon Turner into the Federal Court, seeking urgent orders to take down reporting on a story we believe is firmly in the public interest.
The court declined to hear BHP’s urgent application, leaving the matter on its ordinary timetable. At the centre of this fight is a coal miner who broke his back at a BHP mine site, a small independent newsroom, and one of the biggest companies in the world trying to muzzle coverage rather than answer basic questions.
Michael West established Michael West Media in 2016 to focus on journalism of high public interest, particularly the rising power of corporations over democracy. West was formerly a journalist and editor with Fairfax newspapers, a columnist for News Corp and even, once, a stockbroker.
