Lecture 11 - Professor Mary Walsh PDF

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Week 11 Lecture The News Media    Age of Information/Age of Intellectual Property  Information important to politics  Historically important  Important to people and societies  Gaining control of flow of information a key aspect of contemporary politics.  Dr Ian Ward argues that the media...

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Week 11 Lecture The News Media            

Age of Information/Age of Intellectual Property Information important to politics Historically important Important to people and societies Gaining control of flow of information a key aspect of contemporary politics. Dr Ian Ward argues that the media animates democracy by keeping an eye on executive government and that the media exercises significant political power. Democracies as open political systems. Free flow of information between citizens and representatives. Functioning of representatives democracies. Mass media & news media (newspaper/tv) Key way to transmit information about politics to wider Australian society. Ideally the news media provides people with information that allows them to form views on policy issues and effectively participate in the political process.

Why is the news media important for government & democracy in Australia?  Main source of information out of political executives (press release/conferences).  Main sources of independent information for voters (journalists seek information).  Fourth estate theory - media has a unique role in democratic political system.  Fifth estate theory - social media and its changing role. Role of the Media  Media have a role in making political system effective.  Ideal situation - provide information without prejudice.  Important information and opinion.  Information about many issues significant for government and democracy.    

Allows voters to identify key issues. Provide forum where citizens can make informed view of a range of issues. Influencing political decisions. Cook suggests considering the ideal situation of the role of media because it provides a basis for assessing the actual role (p. 166).

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Can the news media fulfil an ideal role? Lack of interest in politics (duty). Prefer myths and half truths. News and advertising. Newsworthiness (attract larger audience). Agenda setting. Commercial versus non-commercial TV.

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Making the public aware of issues in the public interest. Political issues - Children Overboard, Christchurch 2002, asylum seekers 2010 > Four Corners - investigative journalism. 7.30

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Role of the media in informing citizens.

Media Ownership  Laws require diverse membership.  Aim to prevent the common ownership of newspaper, television and radio broadcasting.  Broadcasting Services Act 1992, the Trade Practices Act 1974 and the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975.   

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Restrictions include one person cannot own more than 75% of television broadcasting licences. A person cannot own more than one TV broadcasting licence in a given areas. Foreigners cannot control a TV broadcasting licence and foreign interests cannot exceed 20% of ownership licence. A person cannot control two radio licences in the same area. A person cannot control both a TV and radio licence in the same area. A person cannot control a commercial TV licence and a newspaper associated with that licence area. A person cannot control a commercial radio broadcasting licence and newspaper within the same area.

Media Organisations  Are mostly commercial organisations.  Reflect values of those who own them (businessmen) as result of the values that are a key part of these organisations.  Operate according to specific routines.  Produce shared understanding of the nature of news and how it should be presented (Canberra Press Gallery).       

News sense and presentation style. Rounds/galleries. Press secretaries, lobbyists and advisors to pressure groups. Part of national/international networks. Dominated by white middle class men. ABC/SBS Key point - employing journalists to work closely with members of political executive gives them some control of how they appear in the news media.

Commercial Organisations  Media is a business.  Media organisations as conservative organisations.  Values of businessmen, role of the economy and maintaining profit are given credibility.  Pro-business values.  Not a forum for radically changing society. Concentration of Ownership

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Dominant values of the business organisation mean likelihood of journalists reporting radical position not good. Given concentration of ownership it is unlikely a small group of businessmen will significantly attempt to alter status quo. Increasing the numbers may well not alter this.

The Internet  It has many sources of information and opinion, but may not be reliable.  Improve situation because it is available and inexpensive.  It is open to participation from variety. The Depiction of the Opposition in the Media  Since 2012m it is arguable that the former opposition is largely depicted as the government in waiting.  Results of the 2010 federal election.  Sense that the opposition is only one vote from government.  Journalists are not neutral - The Australian Depictions of the former PM and Government  Since 2010, we have had a hung parliament and this has been depicted as unstable rather than more democratic.  The former PM was often depicted as lacking judgement especially in the case of asylum seekers, Thomson and Slipper affairs.  How realistic are these depiction or are they simply from journalists who fear the owners of the media and tow the line. Disjunction between Parliament and the media  Arguably, the 2010 federal election results created a situation in Australian politics rarely experienced.  What happens in Parliament question time is crucial because the media often puts a spin on the events that are not favourable to the government or PM.  Rarely any criticism of the tactics and time wasting employed by the former opposition - suspending standing orders 69 times demanding the PM resign. Sally Young (2011) How Australian Decides: Election Reporting and the Media  General consensus that media reporting of political issues is unsatisfactory with trivial issues, sensationalism, bias and lazy journalism dominating.  Media between 2010 & 2013 are obsessed with opinion polls and 'lazy' journalism at the expense of serious issues and policies.  2010 federal election - public unusually disengaged.  Declining voter enrolment.  Elite public sphere and a popular public sphere. David McKnight (2012) Rupert Murdoch: An Investigation of Political Power  Murdoch - two passions - wealth and power.  Political power to influence the media laws.  Meeting in California about what would be done about the minority Gillard government.  Culture war against liberal elites.  Murdoch subsidise his own newspapers (The Australian).

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Key concern - support of fossil fuel companies via Fox news in USA which limits role of USA in climate change. Manne argues the book is a study in "dangerous media abuse of power and of abject government weakness in regard to it."...