Media bosses push for press freedom reform

Media bosses are confident press freedom laws will be reformed after meeting with the Morrison government in Canberra.

Australia's major media outlets pushed for a right to contest search warrants in the wake of raids at News Corp and the ABC earlier this year.

The media coalition launched the "Australia's Right To Know" campaign last month which also calls for freedom of information reform, whistleblower protections and public interest exemptions from national security laws.

The executives were "encouraged" after meeting with Attorney-General Christian Porter and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher on Wednesday.

News Corp Australasia chairman Michael Miller is confident the government will adopt recommendations in the report when they meet again in three weeks.

"We've had a more constructive meeting. It's good to hear the government is open to some changes," he said.

"We're waiting for the security committee report in two weeks time, I think they're open to all those recommendations that will come out of that report.

"It was encouraging today we got into some of the areas we wanted to in terms of particular law changes."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended the police raids but is open to reform.

He called a parliamentary inquiry to examine the impact of national security laws on press freedom.

Parliament's intelligence and security committee will complete the inquiry and hand down its recommendations to the government in two weeks.

News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst spent a second day in the High Court on Wednesday challenging the validity of search warrant executed at her home in June.

Mr Miller said Smethurst's case was discussed but he didn't request formal intervention as the matter was with the Australian Federal Police who weren't at the meeting.

Nine Entertainment CEO Hugh Marks said all media outlets were "united" in their bid to keep the government transparent.

"If there is a creeping inability for journalists to perform their role well then ultimately that has an impact on the quality of the publications that you're responsible for doing and also the information that the audience has to make their decisions about political matters," he said.