2 | News
10 April - 16 April 2012
Australians are being robbed of an informed debate about global events n
Australia is restricted by its proximity to the major global powers. But is this an excuse to glean over the most important world news and the most crucial decisions being made by the world’s most powerful people?
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the hard word > NATHAN MOTTON
BY DEFINITION the word ‘media’ refers to: the main means of mass communication. And while the very essence of communication has changed significantly over the past decade, the word ‘main’ is interesting. Is our ‘main’ access to news providing all that we, the consumer, demand? Or are we being shortchanged by a self-indulgent, inward looking fourth estate. After moving to London last year, The Hard Word discovered that the British public is deeply suspicious of its press. Added to that, the UK audience demands that its ‘main’ source of information is critical by nature and engaging in manner. The appetite here for news is, I believe, unparalleled in the world. Of course like anywhere, tabloid news rules and some ‘stories’ that are published here are ruthless and entirely pointless. But a paradigm shift in consumer habits following the fall-out from the News of the World phone-hacking saga has proved that people here refuse to be taken for a ride. This can only be positive for society. The ‘main’ source of information in Australia is determined by a high concentration of media owners, who insist on feeding the public a funnel of news largely confined to the nation’s shores. This can only be negative for the Australian people. But is this the fault of the
Your Say On: Julia Gillard and Bob Carr disagree on decriminalising drugs
THIS is not a drug problem – it’s a people problem, a societal discontent problem. I do not condone the use of drugs, however some of us are using pharmaceutical drugs every day that are killing us. Consider this seriously, see it for truth; drugs are drugs, whatever ‘form’ they take. Their effects are varied, but there’s more blame placed on recreational drugs when a large part of our suffering continues to thrive in the hands of companies like Pfizer who make a mint from keeping people ill enough to keep coming back to purchase their ‘remedy’, which is a bunch of misinformation and often far darker than what you might imagine ‘druglords’ to be selling on the sly. The real evil is right out in the open where it thinks it’s safe. The broader issue is not about narcotics, it’s a HUMAN PSYCHE problem. Freesia AustralianTimes.co.uk/news
? What’s your view
consumer or the media? I would argue that it’s both. The most reported stories in Australia last week according to Media Monitors were: the Queensland election with an overwhelming 19,000 mentions across all mediums, followed by the mining tax, Olympic swimming trials, the tragic death of Melbourne great Jim Stynes and the capture of Malcolm Naden with just over 9,000 mentions. In the UK in the same week, the Budget dominated the headlines according to Journalisted. com. The extraordinary story of Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba’s cardiac arrest during a football match was the next most reported story, followed by the Toulouse killings. Aside from very domestic budget stories, the next two were, I would argue significant global stories. Of course the death of Jim Stynes was in its own right an enormous national story Down Under, and the Queensland election was historic in so many ways. But one could be forgiven for thinking the blanket coverage of the others, and the far fewer reports on the Toulouse killings and Muamba’s incredible fight for his life makes complete sense, given Australia’s proximity to these countries. Not quite. It reveals an underlying problem with Australian news content, that its ‘main’ form of access to information is far too insular.
Since living and working in London I’ve found an enormous disparity between the news that is reported on in the UK and that in Australia. There is a much greater amount of content available to British journalists but, importantly, it is all reported on in great length. Last year the implications of the eurozone bailout were explored for each and every one of the UK’s taxpayers. The consequences of the US debt ceiling agreement, as the UK’s largest export partner, were reported on at great length. The phone-hacking scandal questioned the very fabric of the British press. The coverage of all these events and their link to UK shores has inevitably increased my appetite for news. They were largely overlooked by the Australian press. There is too much focus on Australian Rules Football, drinkdriving, petty crime and an obsession with d-list celebrities. So what have we learned? Australians are being robbed of an informed, global debate about world events. Of course the country is restricted by its proximity to the major global powers. But is this an excuse to glean over the most important world news, the most crucial decisions being made by the world’s most powerful people? The answer is most certainly not.
On: Living in London can be hard sometimes, especially for Aussies
On: One in six Aussies admit faking a sickie
I totally agree with the author of the post, although I’ve been living here just for 6 months and one may say that that is not enough. I’ve tried hard, but got the same experience with dinners/lunch cancelled because everyone is so busy here. I’m Italian and every friend of mind just told me the same thing. Whenever I try to start a conversation I can actually notice the slight feeling of shock behind the eyes of my interlocutor, except of course on Saturday night when they are all awfully drunk. Marghe AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices
On: Melbourne’s Metlink needs a lesson from TfL
No, I haven’t had a run in - but I’ve used London and Hong Kong trains and they are reliable, easy and efficient. Maybe the author could aslo comment on why Victorians needed to invent, at huge public cost, our own ticketing system (MYKI) when both HK & London already have systems we could have replicated? Des Facebook.com/AustralianTimes
AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices
I admit it - I chuck a sickie when the International rugby comes to town...I thought that was a given and part of the Aussie culture... AustralianTimes.co.uk/news
On: Cold Chisel to play London’s Hyde Park for Hard Rock Calling
Blown away! This news had made my sunny weekend sunnier and Shepherd’s Bush Greener!! If that’s possible… Maureen AustralianTimes.co.uk/ entertainment
On: Cold Chisel to play London’s Hyde Park for Hard Rock Calling
I feel a bout of Aussiexpatitis coming on.. Leanne Facebook.com/AustralianTimes
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