“In the seats of influence…”
The power of media within Australia and across the world is constantly changing due to the developments in technology such as the internet, and blogs such as this. The ability to presented individual beliefs and attitudes. However, there is still much debate to who exactly influences and controls the media.
“With only one other major player in the media overall (Kerry Packer’s Consolidated Press: television and magazines), this concentration of ownership) (oligopoly) has been viewed as a major source of concern a debate in Australia for many years.”
These media barons own majority of the publications we view regularly, not to mention the influential implications they possess but it has been brought upon to investigate these multi-billionaires.
Organisations and controllers of the Media within Australia have included media barons such as Rupert Murdoch, who is now an American citizen and another, Conrad Black, who is Canadian. This then raises the issue of what Australians are subjected to, but this also is an alarming thought that these two media barons aren’t even Australian.
“The whole media in Australia now relies on PR, not necessarily just private consultants but also the handouts from government departments, community organisations and everything else” as stated in Media Realities.
The repercussions of this can be explored by theorist McQuail in the uses and gratification theory, as he explores “what do media do to people?” It is an important component when discussing the influence and media power within Australia to acknowledge the repercussions of the media to its audiences, and as explored, the audiences of many Australians viewing current affair programs.
“…either audiences can accept media output as true to reality… or they see through the tricks the mass media play on them”. McQuail, D. (2002)
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Current Affair programs, what will happen in the future?
Current Affair programs, what will happen in the future?
What’s more important, neighbours feuding or the current events across the globe?
Current Affair programs were originally intended to provide audiences across the world of accurate analysis of current issues or topic of importance across the world. However, over the past decade the genre of Commercial Current Affair programs such as ‘Today Tonight’ and ‘A Current Affair’ have changed dramatically relying on ratings and profit instead of the original intention to ‘educate’ and ‘inform’ its audience.
Within Australia, Network stations such as NBN and Prime highly focus on the importance of ratings rather than the information being divulged to the audience, this is due to the increase in technologies and internet as well as the public’s interest’s movement towards celebrity, drama and crime.
Commercial current affair programs as explored by Marianne Bergseth (2009) have “developed a format that revolves around stories about “everyday” people and the scandals in their lives and presents them as news.”
BBC’s Journalist Michael Buerk explains his view of the current news media as “coarser, shallower, more trivial, more prurient, more inaccurate, and more insensitive, with each passing year."
As explored throughout the book “The Electronic Reporter: Broadcast journalism in Australian by Barbara Alysen pg (194)
“In paying for stories, media outlets commonly walk a fine line between competitive pressures and good taste. “
“In an ideal world, everyone who gave information to journalists would do so for altruistic motives. But life today is not like that. Information is a valuable commodity and in a market-oriented world, journalists sometimes have to pay for it…” has this gone too far, are we only receiving stories that will provide each station with profits- this then leads me to the point that these current affair programs are poisoning the news. It also raises the issue of the information being withheld.
What’s more important, neighbours feuding or the current events across the globe?
Current Affair programs were originally intended to provide audiences across the world of accurate analysis of current issues or topic of importance across the world. However, over the past decade the genre of Commercial Current Affair programs such as ‘Today Tonight’ and ‘A Current Affair’ have changed dramatically relying on ratings and profit instead of the original intention to ‘educate’ and ‘inform’ its audience.
Within Australia, Network stations such as NBN and Prime highly focus on the importance of ratings rather than the information being divulged to the audience, this is due to the increase in technologies and internet as well as the public’s interest’s movement towards celebrity, drama and crime.
Commercial current affair programs as explored by Marianne Bergseth (2009) have “developed a format that revolves around stories about “everyday” people and the scandals in their lives and presents them as news.”
BBC’s Journalist Michael Buerk explains his view of the current news media as “coarser, shallower, more trivial, more prurient, more inaccurate, and more insensitive, with each passing year."
As explored throughout the book “The Electronic Reporter: Broadcast journalism in Australian by Barbara Alysen pg (194)
“In paying for stories, media outlets commonly walk a fine line between competitive pressures and good taste. “
“In an ideal world, everyone who gave information to journalists would do so for altruistic motives. But life today is not like that. Information is a valuable commodity and in a market-oriented world, journalists sometimes have to pay for it…” has this gone too far, are we only receiving stories that will provide each station with profits- this then leads me to the point that these current affair programs are poisoning the news. It also raises the issue of the information being withheld.
An example of agenda setting
Example of the strengths of Agenda Setting throughout Kevin Rudd’s 07 Election:
Strengths of agenda setting throughout the form of the Kevin 07 election which as we all know won Kevin Rudd the 2007 election.
Kevin Rudd’s campaign was frequently visible throughout the media throughout 2007 which heavily influenced individuals’ decisions to election Rudd as the next Prime Minister of Australia.
It was evident that this campaign was more of a popularity contest, rather than a political campaign. You may remember several appearances of Kevin Rudd, on talk show host Rove Mc Manus, appealing to a younger audience.
This is just one example of how television media was extremely influential within the campaign and how effective and persuasive agenda setting can be towards a particular issue, agenda setting played a key part and the success of Rudd’s “Kevin 07” election and displays that agenda setting throughout the form of media is successful throughout political campaigns.
Severin, and Tankard explore the ‘Cultivation Theory’ which was developed in 1980 to explain the effects of ‘television viewing’ on people’s perceptions, attitudes and values.
They argue that “Television has become a key member of the family, the one who tells most of the stories most of the time” as millions of people around the world watch television it would be
Noelle- Neumann’s theory of public opinion is formed through a process called the spiral of Silence.
Noelle states that on a Controversial Issue, people form impressions about the distribution of public opinion. They try to determine whether they are in the majority, and then they try to determine whether public opinion is changing to agree with them.
Noelle argues that the mass media do have powerful effects on public opinion but these effects have been underestimated.
Strengths of agenda setting throughout the form of the Kevin 07 election which as we all know won Kevin Rudd the 2007 election.
Kevin Rudd’s campaign was frequently visible throughout the media throughout 2007 which heavily influenced individuals’ decisions to election Rudd as the next Prime Minister of Australia.
It was evident that this campaign was more of a popularity contest, rather than a political campaign. You may remember several appearances of Kevin Rudd, on talk show host Rove Mc Manus, appealing to a younger audience.
This is just one example of how television media was extremely influential within the campaign and how effective and persuasive agenda setting can be towards a particular issue, agenda setting played a key part and the success of Rudd’s “Kevin 07” election and displays that agenda setting throughout the form of media is successful throughout political campaigns.
Severin, and Tankard explore the ‘Cultivation Theory’ which was developed in 1980 to explain the effects of ‘television viewing’ on people’s perceptions, attitudes and values.
They argue that “Television has become a key member of the family, the one who tells most of the stories most of the time” as millions of people around the world watch television it would be
Noelle- Neumann’s theory of public opinion is formed through a process called the spiral of Silence.
Noelle states that on a Controversial Issue, people form impressions about the distribution of public opinion. They try to determine whether they are in the majority, and then they try to determine whether public opinion is changing to agree with them.
Noelle argues that the mass media do have powerful effects on public opinion but these effects have been underestimated.
How television influences individuals.
Agenda setting?
An example of this can be shown throughout Max McCombs theories of agenda setting within the media. Max McCombs goes on to explain that…
“The power of the news media to set a nation’s agenda, to focus public attention on a few key public issues, is an immense and well-documented influence. Not only do people acquire factual information about public affairs from the news media, readers and viewers also learn how much importance to attach to a topic on the basis of the emphasis placed on it in the news.”
McCombs moves on to explain…
Television news also offers numerous cues about salience – the opening story on the newscast, length of time devoted to the story.
These cues repeated day after day effectively communicate the importance of each topic. In other words, the news media can set the agenda for the public’s attention to that small group of issues around which public opinion forms.
An example of this can be shown throughout Max McCombs theories of agenda setting within the media. Max McCombs goes on to explain that…
“The power of the news media to set a nation’s agenda, to focus public attention on a few key public issues, is an immense and well-documented influence. Not only do people acquire factual information about public affairs from the news media, readers and viewers also learn how much importance to attach to a topic on the basis of the emphasis placed on it in the news.”
McCombs moves on to explain…
Television news also offers numerous cues about salience – the opening story on the newscast, length of time devoted to the story.
These cues repeated day after day effectively communicate the importance of each topic. In other words, the news media can set the agenda for the public’s attention to that small group of issues around which public opinion forms.
Use and Gratification Model
Use and Gratification Model, McQuail
Use and Gratification Model
View more presentations from dphillips4363.
Future of Media in Australia
This is an interesting video which explores the future of the media within Australia.
Media Power in Australia
Media Power in Australia:
We all watch, listen and engage with numerous types of media every day it is an alarming thought of who controls the information that is being presented to us.
As the book ‘Media Realities’ states,
“The messengers who bring multiple realities to audiences are media barons like the Australian-born Rupert Murdoch (in far left) with his global empire of newspapers, television channels, satellite broadcasting and his potential audience of billions”.
“All forms of government ultimately are not going to succeed in trying to control or censor the Internet.”- Rupert Murdoch
The book moves on the further investigate this issue, by stating that “journalism provides news and current affairs programming which, for better or worse, help to structure and create the multiple realities that we conceptualise…”
“We use the term mass media with an awareness of its many diverse contemporary implications, pointing to media organisations (‘The Media have too much power’); media people (‘The media are irresponsible’); media output (‘The media are filled with bad news’); and indeed the media generally (“The media ought to be brought under government control.’).”
Nevertheless, the ‘Australian Broadcast Service Act’ states that “to encourage diversity in control of the more influential broadcasting services.” This can be seen in more depth throughout the following link.
http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/SP/Media_Regulation.htm
Opinions on Media power in Australia.
Throughout the novel Media Realities...
Derek White, general manager, international broadcasting, Australia Broadcasting Corporation:
“I think that there are very definite limits on media power. But this varies substantially with whatever medium you are talking about”.
Chris Warren, federal secretary, journalists’ section, Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance:
“I think media power is often overstated. Obviously the media have an influence on events but I don’t think that this is necessarily the determining influence…”
We all watch, listen and engage with numerous types of media every day it is an alarming thought of who controls the information that is being presented to us.
As the book ‘Media Realities’ states,
“The messengers who bring multiple realities to audiences are media barons like the Australian-born Rupert Murdoch (in far left) with his global empire of newspapers, television channels, satellite broadcasting and his potential audience of billions”.
“All forms of government ultimately are not going to succeed in trying to control or censor the Internet.”- Rupert Murdoch
The book moves on the further investigate this issue, by stating that “journalism provides news and current affairs programming which, for better or worse, help to structure and create the multiple realities that we conceptualise…”
“We use the term mass media with an awareness of its many diverse contemporary implications, pointing to media organisations (‘The Media have too much power’); media people (‘The media are irresponsible’); media output (‘The media are filled with bad news’); and indeed the media generally (“The media ought to be brought under government control.’).”
Nevertheless, the ‘Australian Broadcast Service Act’ states that “to encourage diversity in control of the more influential broadcasting services.” This can be seen in more depth throughout the following link.
http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/SP/Media_Regulation.htm
Opinions on Media power in Australia.
Throughout the novel Media Realities...
Derek White, general manager, international broadcasting, Australia Broadcasting Corporation:
“I think that there are very definite limits on media power. But this varies substantially with whatever medium you are talking about”.
Chris Warren, federal secretary, journalists’ section, Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance:
“I think media power is often overstated. Obviously the media have an influence on events but I don’t think that this is necessarily the determining influence…”
Television today, FACT OR FANTASY?
Television today, FACT OR FANTASY?
Australian television today is well and truly blurred between fact and fantasy. As we sit back in our lounge rooms watching television it is difficult as an audience to differentiate between what is fact and what is fantasy, which can been seen throughout Hungry Beast ‘Gullible Media’ faux.
As stated in Media Realities, by Marshall “today we live in an era of news as entertainment, of advertorials, of unmanaged news, of carefully staged and scripted public relations events, of documentaries in cinema verite style, of trials on national television, of ‘wars’ brought into the living room.”
Australian television today is well and truly blurred between fact and fantasy. As we sit back in our lounge rooms watching television it is difficult as an audience to differentiate between what is fact and what is fantasy, which can been seen throughout Hungry Beast ‘Gullible Media’ faux.
As stated in Media Realities, by Marshall “today we live in an era of news as entertainment, of advertorials, of unmanaged news, of carefully staged and scripted public relations events, of documentaries in cinema verite style, of trials on national television, of ‘wars’ brought into the living room.”
Are we being fooled?
Television in Australia
Are we being fooled?
Television as stated by Ingham, is to be the “most real form of media” Ingham, H. (1995) it is therefore important to question the how real the representations of people, issues and current affairs are represented throughout television within Australia.
Not only as individuals should we question these representations but we should also acknowledge the influences and ways these issues are conveyed to audiences and the powerful effects they have in our society.
It is evident whilst flicking through the channels on Australian television at 7:30pm of the current affair programs, such as ‘Today Tonight’ and ‘60 Minutes’ and the content they have implemented for tonight’s entertainment. For example, Tuesday 1st June, stories included ‘How to dress for your size’ and stories which include ‘Neighbour feuds’. These stories may seem juvenile in comparison to political issues and world health, but these juvenile issues keep appearing throughout Australian Television current Affair programs.
As Baker describes, Television current affairs programmes on Australian Television initial purpose was to “background, contextualise and examine in depth issues which may have appeared in the news…They clearly met the public broadcasters' brief to 'inform and educate' and contribute to the notional 'public sphere'.”
However, over the past two decades, the structure and content of these programs have changed in order to achieve desirable ratings and profits for each television, and in particular channel Nine and Seven within this report. Thus, non-commercial stations such as SBS are left struggling to exist due to the enormous competition these commercial stations uphold. This therefore impacts on the structure of current affair programs and what each individual in displayed with.
Baker states that “the impact of new media technologies have arguably diminished the role of public broadcasting and profoundly affected the resources available for current or public affairs television with subsequent impacts on its forms and importance.”
“In a public system, television producers acquire money to make programmes. In a commercial system they make programmes to acquire money”
As McQuail states, “Either audiences can accept media output as true to reality, in which case they are successfully socialized, brainwashed by patriarchy or lured into the idea that what they see and read is ‘common sense’ or they see through the tricks the mass media play on them and reject the sexist patriarchal, capitalist representations of the world.” McQuail, D. (2002)
An example of McQuails theory can be displayed within this YouTube clip, the below link will display ‘Hungry Beast’ television show that displays how gullible Australian media is and in particular 2GB news radio, 3AW news radio, Ninemsn, and finally to Television to the ‘7pm Project” which “draws its highest audience of 2010 with 1.11 million viewers” as evident on ‘Entertainment News’ website 2010. This clip provides an example of how the development in new technologies has affected the media within Australia and the stories and news provided across the nation.
“People believe everything they read without sourcing it…”
The ‘Hungry Beast’ YouTube clip also highlights and supports the notion, whether journalism and Australian media employees are using accurate sources when delivering news.
The Hungry Beast: Gullible Australia? Gullible media
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMQCcOSfaYw
“Either audiences can accept media output as true to reality… or they see through the tricks the mass media play on them”. McQuail, D. (2002)
Are we being fooled?
Television as stated by Ingham, is to be the “most real form of media” Ingham, H. (1995) it is therefore important to question the how real the representations of people, issues and current affairs are represented throughout television within Australia.
Not only as individuals should we question these representations but we should also acknowledge the influences and ways these issues are conveyed to audiences and the powerful effects they have in our society.
It is evident whilst flicking through the channels on Australian television at 7:30pm of the current affair programs, such as ‘Today Tonight’ and ‘60 Minutes’ and the content they have implemented for tonight’s entertainment. For example, Tuesday 1st June, stories included ‘How to dress for your size’ and stories which include ‘Neighbour feuds’. These stories may seem juvenile in comparison to political issues and world health, but these juvenile issues keep appearing throughout Australian Television current Affair programs.
As Baker describes, Television current affairs programmes on Australian Television initial purpose was to “background, contextualise and examine in depth issues which may have appeared in the news…They clearly met the public broadcasters' brief to 'inform and educate' and contribute to the notional 'public sphere'.”
However, over the past two decades, the structure and content of these programs have changed in order to achieve desirable ratings and profits for each television, and in particular channel Nine and Seven within this report. Thus, non-commercial stations such as SBS are left struggling to exist due to the enormous competition these commercial stations uphold. This therefore impacts on the structure of current affair programs and what each individual in displayed with.
Baker states that “the impact of new media technologies have arguably diminished the role of public broadcasting and profoundly affected the resources available for current or public affairs television with subsequent impacts on its forms and importance.”
“In a public system, television producers acquire money to make programmes. In a commercial system they make programmes to acquire money”
As McQuail states, “Either audiences can accept media output as true to reality, in which case they are successfully socialized, brainwashed by patriarchy or lured into the idea that what they see and read is ‘common sense’ or they see through the tricks the mass media play on them and reject the sexist patriarchal, capitalist representations of the world.” McQuail, D. (2002)
An example of McQuails theory can be displayed within this YouTube clip, the below link will display ‘Hungry Beast’ television show that displays how gullible Australian media is and in particular 2GB news radio, 3AW news radio, Ninemsn, and finally to Television to the ‘7pm Project” which “draws its highest audience of 2010 with 1.11 million viewers” as evident on ‘Entertainment News’ website 2010. This clip provides an example of how the development in new technologies has affected the media within Australia and the stories and news provided across the nation.
“People believe everything they read without sourcing it…”
The ‘Hungry Beast’ YouTube clip also highlights and supports the notion, whether journalism and Australian media employees are using accurate sources when delivering news.
The Hungry Beast: Gullible Australia? Gullible media
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMQCcOSfaYw
“Either audiences can accept media output as true to reality… or they see through the tricks the mass media play on them”. McQuail, D. (2002)
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