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Nine chief executive officer Hugh Marks (left) and ABC managing director David Anderson (right) at the press freedom inquiry on Tuesday.Credit:Peter Rae

News Corp director of corporate affairs Campbell Reid said the legislation had been drafted with the assumption that media organisations were"cavalier"when publishing.

"I would ask the agencies ... where can they point out the actual tangible example of a responsible news organisation,such as represented here,having done the wrong thing,or risked a national security organisation,or put a soldier or a policeman's life in danger?"Mr Campbell said.

He said readers would not tolerate the publication of news that brought harm to the country or put people at risk.

"Can you imagine the level of outcry that would come from ordinary Australians if we covered something that put the lives of security operators or policemen or armed forces at risk?"

News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller said the country"may not be living in a police state but we are living in a state of secrecy".

"We are asking for changes to allow the media to fulfil its role,"Mr Miller said.

Free TV Australia chief executive Bridget Fair said there was no evidence to show news organisations were putting national security at risk.

"What we're arguing is that having the right balance of laws encourages journalists to seek that dialogue with responsible people involved in government to be able to be guided about what should or shouldn't be published,"she said.

"If we have laws that are overly draconian,then the resulting behaviour will be to not disclose the existence of potential stories and seek that guidance."

Nine chief executive officer Hugh Marks said the balance between national security and the right for journalists to publish was weighted towards the wrong side of the spectrum and argued the accumulation of laws gagging the media was leading to an"erosion of the strength of our democracy".

Nine Entertainment Co is the parent company ofThe Sydney Morning Herald andThe Age.

Nine Australia Metro Publishing group executive editor James Chessell warned that disproportionate penalties on journalists for reporting the news had a"chilling effect in our news rooms".

"To think that the balance is right and this doesn't curb the news rooms'desire to shine light into dark places is absurd,it has a definite impact,"he said.

The Australian Federal Police raids on the ABC's Ultimo headquarters and the home of News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst earlier this year had brought the"world's attention"to the issue of press freedom in Australia,ABC managing director David Anderson said.

Mr Anderson said there ABC had a robust editorial process in place and the broadcaster did not publish everything it receives.

"Editorial policies require us to assess what the effect might be of publishing information,"he said.

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