The Board of the National Press Club of Australia calls for the release of Australian journalist Cheng Lei from detention in China so she can return home to her family.

The National Press Club is relieved to see the decision not to prosecute ABC reporter Dan Oakes, but this case highlights the urgent need for reform of laws that enable the criminalisation of journalism.

These laws have a chilling effect on the right of journalists to carry out their jobs, and to report without fear or favour.

The Board of National Press Club of Australia calls on the democratically elected government of Malaysia to immediately cease its criminal investigation into five Australian journalists and one Al Jazerra journalist over its short documentary 101 East about migrant workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.