Rozprawy doktorskie na temat „Media in Australia”

Since the late eighteenth century, the Western observation of the East has been based on shared ontological and epistemological assumptions made by the West of the East as different and as the "Other''. Said's concept of Orientalism revolutionized Western understanding of non-Western cultures by showing how Western projected images shaped the Occidental view of the Orient. Although much has been written about the West's perception of the East as "Other'' (Eg. Said and Schirato), to date, little has been written dealing with the West from, the "Eastern" viewpoint. This thesis will examine the concepts of Orientalism (the perception of the Orient as Other) and Occidentalism, which Yao views as Orientalism in reverse, and apply it to the study of Australian I Singapore relations. It will specifically look at the way in which Australia is reported in Singapore's main English newspaper, The Straits Times. Australian events are perceived to be of importance not only to the Singaporean reader but to Australian/Singapore relations. Although the notion of the "Other" can mean different things to different people., I have chosen, for the purpose of this thesis to use Said's definition, which has to do with Western perception of the East as Other. The principle question that arises from the situation of Othering is, quite simply, why does The Straits Times, and by implication the Singapore government, choose to "Other" Australia in a remarkably consistent manner?

Models of mass media and democracy, as commonly discussed by media theorists, suggest there is a tight ideological relationship between the dominant discourse of mass media outlets and incumbent governments (Chomsky, 1997; Curran, 2002; Curran and Gurevitch, 2001; Curran and Park, 1996; Curran and Seaton, 1986; Herman and Chomsky, 1986; Herman and McChesney, 2001; Jacka, 2003; Schultz, 1998). In this thesis I analyse Australian print media opinion pages, and argue that the workings of Herman and Chomksy's Propaganda Model (1988, pp. 1-35) are evident in opinion page output on the Iraq issue. However, when applied to Australia and the Australian government's decision to invade Iraq in March 2003, as part of the Coalition of the Willing, I claim that the tight connection between mass media outlets and the dominant discourse of the government is not as evident. In other words, in this instance the dominant discourse that emerged from an analysis of print opinion pages was not as ideologically synchronised with the position of the Australian government as traditional theory would posit.

This interdisciplinary study critically revisits the Australian print media???s engagement with Helen Garner???s controversial work of ???non-fiction???, The First Stone (1995). Print news media engagement with the book, marked by intense discursive contestation over feminism, has been constituted both by feminists and other critics as a significant cultural signpost. However, the highly visible print media event following the book???s publication raised a plethora of critical questions and dilemmas that remain unsatisfactorily addressed. Building upon John Fiske???s work on media events as sites of maximum visibility and discursive turbulence (Fiske: 1996), this study re-theorises the public dialogue following The First Stone???s publication in terms of four constitutive elements: narrative, celebrity, audience, and history and conflict. Through an analysis of these four diverse yet interconnected aspects of the media event, I create a critical space not only for its limitations to emerge but also the frequently overlooked possibilities it offers in terms of the wider feminism and print media culture relationship. As part of its central aim to refigure The First Stone media event, this thesis argues against prior characterisations of the debate as constitutive of either a monologic articulation of conservative, antifeminist voices or an unmitigated attack on its author by a homogenous feminism. In particular, I use this media event as indicative of the sophistication and complexity of media engagement with contemporary feminism, despite both continued derision and overly simplistic celebration of this relationship. Texts subject to analysis here include: The First Stone, various ???mainstream??? media representations and self-representations of three ???celebrity feminists??? (Helen Garner, Anne Summers and Jenna Mead), letters to the editor of newspapers and magazines, ???popular??? feminist books by Kathy Bail and Virginia Trioli, and a number of media texts in which those claiming a feminist subject position and those sympathetic to feminism act as either news sources or columnists/commentators. Although Garner???s narrative is throughout identified to be deeply problematic, I argue that the media event it precipitated provides valuable insights into both the opportunities and the constraints of the print media-feminism nexus in 1990s Australia.

As a nation with a strong history of migration, Australia has become a rich multicultural society with an extensive history of migrant and Indigenous media. For migrant communities, community ethnic newspapers created ‘by’ the community ‘for’ the community, are powerful, yet overlooked cultural, informational, and linguistic resources. Community ethnic media are a vital part of multicultural Australia as they assist individuals to find a sense of community, belonging, and place. Media are a crucial space where migrant communities can debate and address issues and events that mainstream media ignores and are important mediums where communities understand themselves and one another. With an infinite number of community ethnic media platforms available from print to broadcast to digital, matters of access, representation and having their audiences’ voice heard and recognised has become more important than ever. Although research examining community ethnic newspapers in Australia has flourished since Gilson and Zubrzycki’s pioneering work on the history and role of Australia’s ethnic media in the 1960s, specific research as to why and how Spanish language newspapers were produced and consumed in multicultural Australia has remained unexamined. In particular, we lack knowledge concerning how Spanish language newspapers are an alternative space in which this invisible heterogeneous migrant community, not only has a voice and space to publish news and information but where it also maintains and promotes the Spanish language and culture. This thesis addresses these knowledge gaps for Australia and elsewhere by examining and discussing the following three themes. First, the emergence and development of print and online Spanish language newspapers in Australia. Second, how the production and consumption of Australia’s Spanish language newspapers influence language, culture, and identity in relation to the past, present, and future. Third, how Spanish language newspapers represent an imagined community, and contribute to a sense of place and belonging amongst community ethnic media producers and consumers. This thesis analyses the results of a three-step study, drawing upon data derived from mixed-methods research. First, a community-based survey of first and second generation Hispanics from Australia’s three largest capital cities — Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney — examined the reasons for print and online Spanish language newspaper production and consumption. Second, semi-structured interviews with ethnic press professionals examined the emergence and evolution of the Spanish language press and the significance of the publication-audience relationship. Third, a textual analysis of print and online Spanish language newspapers verified and triangulated data from the community survey and interviews. The analysis of the survey and interview data in this thesis provides insights into whether and how Spanish language newspapers have influenced Australia’s socio-cultural and linguistic landscape. This thesis illuminates our understanding by demonstrating how Spanish language newspapers instil a sense of solidarity via a shared language, experience, and space, not only within the Hispanic sphere in Australia but also within a wider global sphere. The principal finding of this thesis is that despite Australia’s monolingual landscape, the Spanish language press continues to satisfy and maintain the linguistic, informational, and cultural needs of first and subsequent generations of Hispanics. This thesis identifies four key elements in Australia’s Spanish language press. First, a need and market for Spanish language newspapers exists, as Hispanics continue to be under-represented and invisible in the Australian mainstream media. Second, Spanish language newspapers are a cultural and linguistic resource which creates a sense of place and belonging for Hispanics in multicultural Australia. Third, this thesis identifies that Australia’s diverse Spanish-speaking community consumes Spanish language newspapers not only to fulfil their informational and social needs, but to maintain Spanish as a community language, culture, and identity via a collective media space. That is, these newspapers have created an imagined sense of belonging to a pan-ethnic community, despite the community’s diverse national origins and cultural and linguistic heritage. Fourth, digital communication technologies have contributed to the expansion of an imagined community, which has made it easier, cheaper, and faster to maintain and acquire a transnational audience. The findings of this thesis have implications for promoting community ethnic media, language and identity, and the use of digital communication technologies to facilitate community ethnic media opportunities.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Hum, Lang & Soc Sc
Arts, Education and Law
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This thesis examines the reclamation of the 'Blak' body by Indigenous female photo-media artists. The discussion will begin with an examination of photographic representatiors of Indigenous people by the colonising culture and their construction of 'Aboriginality'. The thesis will look at the introduction of Aboriginal artists to the medium of photography and their chronological movement through the decades This will begin with a documentary style approach in the 1960s to an intimate exploration of identity that came into prominence in the 1980s with an explosion of young urban photomedia artists, continuing into the 1990s and beyond. I will be examining the works of four contemporary female artists and the impetus behind their work. The three main artists whose works will be examined are Brenda L. Croft, Destiny Deacon and Rea all of whom have dealt with issues of representation of the 'Blak female body, gender and reclamation of identity. The thesis will examine the works of these artists in relation to the history of representation by the dominant culture. Chapter 6 will look at a new emerging artist, Dianne Jones, who is looking at similar issues as the artists mentioned. This continuing critique of representation by Jones is testimony of the prevailing issues concerning Aboriginal representation

L'idea di questa tesi nasce da una serie di circostanze, prima tra tutte la professione dell'autore che per quindici anni ha svolto in Italia l'attività di giornalista, lavorando prima al Messaggero di Roma, come cronista, e successivamente alla Rai - Radiotelevisione Italiana in qualità di redattore di 'giudiziaria' . Inoltre, l'autore di questa tesi, ha fatto una interessantissima esperienza professionale sia come critico cinematografico e sia come 'pastonista politico' presso la redazione romana del Giornale Nuovo - coordinata in quegli anni da Cesare Zappulli - quando era direttore il grande e indimenticabile Indro Montanelli, prima cioè che quell'arruffapopoli di Berlusconi affondasse completamente il giornale, trasformandolo nel bollettino parrocchiale di quel guazzabuglio politico che è 'Forza Italia' Questo non è il nostro primo cimento nel campo della storia del giornalismo in quanto segue una tesi di Master, conseguita al dipartimento di Storia dell'University of Queensland e che ha avuto come relatore il Dr. Don Dignan, dal titolo 'Press and Consensus in Fascist Italy'. In questa prima tesi è stata affrontata la fascistizzazione della stampa italiana tra il 1922 ed il 1940 e il modo in cui Mussolini, che capì esattamente l'importanza dei media e del controllo dell'informazione, creò quella corrente di consenso che permise al fascismo di governare indisturbato per tutto il 'ventennio'. In quella tesi di Master è stato anche affrontato e studiato il modo in cui i giornalisti (gli sceneggiatori del regime) ed i giornali, sia essi 'indipendenti' e di partito, manipolarono le notizie per darle in pasto ai propri lettori, con tutte quelle interpolazioni, ridondanze ed ombre che identificano il modo tuttora esistenze di concepire e fare un giornale. Nella nostra tesi di Ph.D. seguiremo una traccia similare, cercando di vedere e di analizzare se anche la stampa etnica ha usato, direttamente o indirettamente, forme di manipolazioni, di interferenze o di ridondanze nel creare e porgere le notizie al lettore italo-australiano. Inoltre è nostro intento accertare fino a che punto questa stampa ha creato un consenso verso particolari scelte politiche, sociali e di costume e se questo consenso è stato accettato dai lettori etnici, e in che misura. In altre parole il quesito che in linea di massima ci poniamo è identificare che influenza ha avuto la stampa etnica sulla comunità italiana. I problemi che questo tipo di ricerca implica sono stati numerosi, soprattutto dovuti al fatto che non esiste una letteratura specifica e non vi sono studi, nel campo del giornalismo italo-australiano, dei primi quaranta anni del novecento. Inoltre la maggior parte dei giornali pubblicati in quegli anni sono andati distrutti. Si è cercato inoltre di delineare una immagine dei problemi e delle aspirazioni della comunità italo-australiana attraverso l'analisi della stampa etnica, visto che la maggior parte degli autori hanno affrontato, fino ad oggi, questo tema usando documenti ufficiali o racconti e testimonianze di persone vissute nel periodo analizzato dalla nostra tesi. Abbiamo cercato, quindi, di dare una nuova luce e, quando è stato possibile, di dare la giusta dimensione agli avvenimenti accaduti dato che quanto veniva pubblicato sulle colonne dei giornali era scritto a 'caldo', senza influenze burocratiche e senza il filtro del tempo e delle memorie che spesso distorcono la realtà creando affabulazioni lontane dalla realtà.

L'idea di questa tesi nasce da una serie di circostanze, prima tra tutte la professione dell'autore che per quindici anni ha svolto in Italia l'attività  di giornalista, lavorando prima al Messaggero di Roma, come cronista, e successivamente alla Rai - Radiotelevisione Italiana in qualità  di redattore di 'giudiziaria' . Inoltre, l'autore di questa tesi, ha fatto una interessantissima esperienza professionale sia come critico cinematografico e sia come 'pastonista politico' presso la redazione romana del Giornale Nuovo - coordinata in quegli anni da Cesare Zappulli - quando era direttore il grande e indimenticabile Indro Montanelli, prima cioè che quell'arruffapopoli di Berlusconi affondasse completamente il giornale, trasformandolo nel bollettino parrocchiale di quel guazzabuglio politico che è 'Forza Italia' Questo non è il nostro primo cimento nel campo della storia del giornalismo in quanto segue una tesi di Master, conseguita al dipartimento di Storia dell'University of Queensland e che ha avuto come relatore il Dr. Don Dignan, dal titolo 'Press and Consensus in Fascist Italy'. In questa prima tesi è stata affrontata la fascistizzazione della stampa italiana tra il 1922 ed il 1940 e il modo in cui Mussolini, che capì esattamente l'importanza dei media e del controllo dell'informazione, creò quella corrente di consenso che permise al fascismo di governare indisturbato per tutto il 'ventennio'. In quella tesi di Master è stato anche affrontato e studiato il modo in cui i giornalisti (gli sceneggiatori del regime) ed i giornali, sia essi 'indipendenti' e di partito, manipolarono le notizie per darle in pasto ai propri lettori, con tutte quelle interpolazioni, ridondanze ed ombre che identificano il modo tuttora esistenze di concepire e fare un giornale. Nella nostra tesi di Ph.D. seguiremo una traccia similare, cercando di vedere e di analizzare se anche la stampa etnica ha usato, direttamente o indirettamente, forme di manipolazioni, di interferenze o di ridondanze nel creare e porgere le notizie al lettore italo-australiano. Inoltre è nostro intento accertare fino a che punto questa stampa ha creato un consenso verso particolari scelte politiche, sociali e di costume e se questo consenso è stato accettato dai lettori etnici, e in che misura. In altre parole il quesito che in linea di massima ci poniamo è identificare che influenza ha avuto la stampa etnica sulla comunità italiana. I problemi che questo tipo di ricerca implica sono stati numerosi, soprattutto dovuti al fatto che non esiste una letteratura specifica e non vi sono studi, nel campo del giornalismo italo-australiano, dei primi quaranta anni del novecento. Inoltre la maggior parte dei giornali pubblicati in quegli anni sono andati distrutti. Si è cercato inoltre di delineare una immagine dei problemi e delle aspirazioni della comunità italo-australiana attraverso l'analisi della stampa etnica, visto che la maggior parte degli autori hanno affrontato, fino ad oggi, questo tema usando documenti ufficiali o racconti e testimonianze di persone vissute nel periodo analizzato dalla nostra tesi. Abbiamo cercato, quindi, di dare una nuova luce e, quando è stato possibile, di dare la giusta dimensione agli avvenimenti accaduti dato che quanto veniva pubblicato sulle colonne dei giornali era scritto a 'caldo', senza influenze burocratiche e senza il filtro del tempo e delle memorie che spesso distorcono la realtà creando affabulazioni lontane dalla realtà.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Humanities
Full Text

This research looks at the way Australia is portrayed in the Western European press, particularly in the light of Australia's recent emphasis on being a clever country, within the Asia Pacific region. The research is based on a quantitative and qualitative analysis of all articles explicitly referring to Australia, in seven newspapers from Belgium (2), France (2), Germany (1) and the United Kingdom (2), over a 6 month period. The main hypothesis was that those newspapers without Australian based correspondents or stringers picture Australia in a stereotypical way and that "news" in those papers, instead of giving "news", reinforces existing ideas and images held of Australia. My research supports the hypothesis, but also uncovers the very important role played by editors at home. They decide what is important, what is news and their choice will go to consonant "news". The research shows that newspapers in Europe largely portray Australia's older images, with its kangaroos, koalas and beaches peopled by sportsmen. Australia is largely portrayed as an almost untouched country inhabited by animals to be found nowhere else, and by people (mainly white Anglo- Saxon males) reputed for their friendliness, as well as for their laziness and sometimes their strangeness. "Newer" images of Australia promoted by the Australian government (e.g. Australia as a clever country and part of the Asia-Pacific region) get relatively little coverage in the Western European press.

By means of a historical analysis of representations, this thesis argues that an increasing sexualisation of Indigenous personalities in popular culture contributes to the reconciliation of non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australia. It considers how sexualised images and narratives of Indigenous people, as they are produced across a range of film, television, advertising, sport and pornographic texts, are connected to a broader politics of liberty and justice in the present postmodern and postcolonial context. By addressing this objective the thesis will identify and evaluate the significance of 'banal' or everyday representations of Aboriginal sexuality, which may range from advertising images of kissing, television soap episodes of weddings, sultry film romances through to more evocatively oiled-up representations of the pinup- calendar variety. This project seeks to explore how such images offer possibilities for creating informal narratives of reconciliation, and engendering understandings of Aboriginality in the media beyond predominant academic concerns for exceptional or fatalistic versions.

By means of a historical analysis of representations, this thesis argues that an increasing sexualisation of Indigenous personalities in popular culture contributes to the reconciliation of non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australia. It considers how sexualised images and narratives of Indigenous people, as they are produced across a range of film, television, advertising, sport and pornographic texts, are connected to a broader politics of liberty and justice in the present postmodern and postcolonial context. By addressing this objective the thesis will identify and evaluate the significance of 'banal' or everyday representations of Aboriginal sexuality, which may range from advertising images of kissing, television soap episodes of weddings, sultry film romances through to more evocatively oiled-up representations of the pinup- calendar variety. This project seeks to explore how such images offer possibilities for creating informal narratives of reconciliation, and engendering understandings of Aboriginality in the media beyond predominant academic concerns for exceptional or fatalistic versions.

Cryptostylis ovata is the only evergreen indigenous orchid that grows in south-western Australia; all the others are deciduous. It uses a classical ‘k’ strategy to reproduce, thus it has a lifespan of decades or longer, and although it produces large numbers of seed when its flowers are pollinated, it appears that only a tiny proportion germinate. On the other hand, Microtis media is the classical ‘r’ breeder in that it lives typically from only one to a few years, and its flower spike generates thousands of seed, which freely germinate. We studied mycorrhizal associations in C. ovata and M. media plants from different wild plants at five sites per species, and at different times throughout the year and life cycles of the plants. Fungi were isolated from pelotons in the roots of both species, and pure cultures were obtained. Diagnostic sequences were generated from PCR products using primers annealing to conserved sequences flanking variable internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the nuclear ribosomal gene. These studies indicated that C. ovata plants from five different sites maintained relationships with Tulasnella fungi of four distinct taxa. The associations were collection site-specific and clustered into two groups - the southern and northern groups. Fungal isolates collected from three southern C. ovata populations closely resembled T. prima isolates identified from Chiloglottis sp. orchids. Fungal isolates identified from two northern orchid populations were of three undescribed Tulasnella taxa. M. media plants collected from disturbed and undisturbed sites also associated with Tulasnella-like fungi. These Tulasnella-like fungi are different from those associated in C. ovata plants. There were six Tulasnella species identified from M. media roots, in which four taxa were similar to previously-described Tulasnella species. Two other taxa were predicted to belong to the families Serendipitaceae and Ceratobasidiaceae. We attempted to germinate C. ovata seeds using different natural and artificial media, and with different mycorrhizal fungal partners. Seeds that germinated to stage 3 (appearance of protomeristem) only occurred on oatmeal agar (OMA) media and soil solution equivalent (SSE) media inoculated with a Tulasnella prima isolate identified from C. ovata orchids, but not with those identified from M. media plants. OMA was the most promising media for C. ovata seed germination; seeds plated on this media inoculated with fungi derived from M. media plants got to stage 1 of germination (imbibed embryo). Unfortunately, none of the treatments in this study reached the final stage of germination—the appearance of the second leaf. Morphological characteristics of above-ground organs of C. ovata plants were recorded. Plants in southern populations had many relatively large dark-green leaves and flowers while plants in the two northern populations had smaller and fewer pale-green leaves and no flowers during the study times. Genetic diversity of all or most plants of the five populations was assessed using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Genetic analysis revealed that plants within each population clustered together, and each population was genetically-distinct from the others. Our findings suggested that at two sites, all plants were genetically-identical, suggesting only asexual reproduction occurred there. At the other three sites, there were varying degrees of genetic diversity, suggestive of sexual reproduction. The most sexually-diverse population was one growing within a pine plantation where few other plants could colonise. We discuss the implications of our research in terms of reproductive strategies in C. ovata, and factors that may limit sexual reproduction.

This thesis undertakes a study of the research question: 'What is the nature of Australia's print media ownership and what is its impact on the diversity of print media, the diversity of views presented by the print media, and the incidence of bias within the print media in Australia?' This research question was developed after a study of submissions to Australia's 1991-1992 House of Representatives Select Committee on the Print Media, more commonly known as the Print Media Inquiry, revealed a dichotomy between submissions presented by proponents of a pluralist press and submissions presented by proponents of a market-based press. An examination of literature on pluralist and market-based press theories, and a comparison of these theories with the attributes of the Australian print media, shows that Australia's press is exclusively market-based and that the country's major newspaper owners have formed a powerful press oligopoly. Further, these owners act as members of an oligopoly tend to act. That is, they rationalise their operations where possible, draw substantial benefits from economies of scale, and are protected from the entry of competition into their markets. The formation of this print media oligopoly has led to some 88.4 percent of the country's national and capital city daily newspaper circulation being concentrated in the hands of two newspaper proprietors, Rupert Murdoch, who controls News Limited, and Conrad Black, who controls the Fairfax group (Communications Update, 1995, p.22). This concentration, the highest in the western world (Henningham, 1993, p.59), is claimed to adversely affect the print media industry, particularly in terms of a lack of print media diversity and a lack of diversity of views presented by the print media to the public. In 1991 moves by the Tourang Consortium (comprised, among others, of media magnates Kerry Packer and Conrad Black) to purchase the Fairfax group of companies caused a political outcry and were responsible, for the most part, for the Federal Labor Government's establishment of the Print Media Inquiry. The Inquiry was a wide-ranging review of the state of the nation's print media industry. It received 164 written submissions and 72 oral submissions from newspaper owners, industry personnel, union representatives, media researchers, academics, and the wider community. An examination of these submissions shows that most can be categorised as supporting either a pluralist or a marketbased view of how Australia's print media should operate. The principal concerns expressed to the Inquiry by proponents of a pluralist press were that Australia's print media ownership had resulted in a lack of diverse print media, mainly through the erection of barriers to the entry of competition, a lack of diversity in the views presented by the print media, and bias in the presentation of those views. Proponents of a market-based press argued, conversely, that Australia's print media were so diverse that no one person could effectively access all of them, that barriers to entry to the industry were confused with a guarantee of entry, and that a diversity of views was assured, as newspaper owners were required to appeal to as broad a readership base as possible to remain profitable. The House of Representatives Select Committee conducting the Print Media Inquiry ultimately concluded (although not unanimously) that Australia's concentrated print media ownership had not resulted in 'biased reporting, news suppression, or a lack of diversity' in the Australian print media industry (Simper, 1992, p.17), a conclusion that led to the Inquiry being labelled a farce, a political sop, and a whitewash. The results of three case studies undertaken for this thesis, however, supported both the findings of the House of Representatives Select Committee on the Print Media and claims by proponents of Australia's market-based press that barriers to entry were not erected by existing print media owners, that a diversity of views was presented by the print media, and that newspaper owners provided a reasonable balance in the editorial of their newspapers. The first case study, an examination of the establishment and subsequent failure of the Brisbane Weekend Times newspaper in 1993, found support for claims made by News Limited to the Print Media Inquiry that, in arguing that Australian press owners had erected barriers to the entry of competition, critics of the market-based press had confused ease of entry to the industry with a guarantee of entry. In examining start-up and delivery costs, the costs of news sources, readers' habits and advertiser support, the ability for the fledgling newspaper to absorb losses, and the influence of News Limited in the newspaper's proposed market, the case study found that the primary reason for the failure of the Brisbane Weekend Times was that its owner had insufficient capital to sustain its publication, rather than any specific barriers which the Australian press oligopoly had itself erected to preclude competition. The second case study, an examination of 254 news stories appearing in Fairfax's Melbourne Age and Sydney Morning Herald and News Limited's Melbourne Herald Sun and Sydney Daily Telegraph Mirror during a composite week from 6 September 1995 to 17 October 1995, found support for claims that Australia's newspaper owners encouraged a diversity of views to ensure they appealed to general rather than niche audiences. The study linked diversity with the incidence of identical, near-identical, and non-identical political news stories that appeared in the above newspapers during the period defined. It found that, of the total news stories studied for both newspaper groups, 7.08 percent were identical, 34.64 percent were near-identical, and 58.28 percent were nonidentical, and concluded that a diversity of views (on matters political at least) did exist in the newspapers examined. The third case study, an examination of the incidence of political bias towards or against the Australian Federal Government in the above newspapers over the same composite week, found support for claims that Australia's newspaper owners provided a reasonable balance in the editorial of their newspapers. Averaging the results returned by three coders used for this examination, the study found that, for the total number of news stories analysed, 41.67 percent were coded as having a neutral bias, 40.47 percent were coded as having bias against the Federal Government, and 17.86 percent were coded as having a bias towards the Federal Government. However, the case study concluded that bias itself was difficult to ascertain, as a single definition of bias upon which to code the stories could not be obtained. In its conclusions the thesis contends that: Australia's newspaper ownership structure fulfils the criteria of an oligopoly and the owners of Australia's press act as members of an oligopoly tend to act, that is, they rationalise their operations where possible, draw substantial benefits from economies of scale, and are protected by the difficulty competitors have in entering the market; and the formation of this press oligopoly has effectively precluded the development of a truly pluralist press in Australia; however the results of three case studies undertaken for the thesis suggest that Australia's print media oligopoly does not lead, intrinsically, to the erection of barriers to entry, a reduction in the diversity of views presented by the print media, or an increase in the incidence of bias presented in those views. In a discussion of these conclusions, however, it is recognised that there are limitations to the overall study of this research question. These include the worldview brought to the writing of the thesis, where the discussion of Australia's print media is itself based in the socio-political structure within which the Australian press operates; the population sample for the second and third case studies, which has been restricted to news stories that deal exclusively with matters of federal politics; and the term print media, which has been limited to newspapers only, and does not include other printed media such as newsletters, magazines, or niche publications.

Citizen's mediaThis PhD dissertation considers prisoners’ radio in Australia and Canada as citizen’s media connecting directly to notions of civic responsibility. It focuses on the ways in which people produce media and how these activities transform those individuals. I will argue that there are two major, and complementary, roles of prisoners’ radio – the first relates to information, while the second is of a participatory nature. By circulating alternative information, prisoners’ programs contribute to an ongoing dialogue about criminalisation and prisons, while direct participation provides opportunities to contribute to this exchange of ideas. Truly democratic societies require that these opportunities exist. When prisoners engage in their own radio production they are participating in a form of meaningful community activity which benefits both prisoners and the wider audience (including family and friends). The loss of citizenship rights (either formally or informally) makes it even more vital that prisoners have access to opportunities that enact their citizenship through alternative means. Producing media and information is one way in which this may be achieved. Public sphere activity, via the media, promotes political participation and actively engages people as citizens in the radical sense of democracy. For people to fully exercise their citizenship rights they need access to a broad choice of perspectives that may assist them to understand particular issues, as well as opportunities to contribute to such representations. My research identified a number of levels of public sphere activity being fostered by prisoners’ radio.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Arts
Arts, Education and Law
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As a means to engage with others, television offers the viewer a great deal. In Australia commercial TV is particularly popular, and many turn daily to this cultural arena which graphically portrays our shared concerns and values. Viewers are kept informed and entertained, advertisements display the luxuries and necessities that direct lifestyle choices,and local and global stories are presented for mutual consideration. Audiences are connected not only with products,personalities and newsmakers, but also with fellow viewers who are sharing the experience. Retired people take particular advantage of this multi-faceted link with the outside world, when additional leisure time and reduced social and physical mobility create spaces that can be filled with the narratives and 'para-social' connections of a medium that transports the world to the viewer. Yet one definitive statement that can be made about popular television is that older people are rarely acknowledged and often ridiculed. An easily accessible and valuable communications medium marginalises those most dependent upon it - for information and entertainment, but also, I would argue, dependent upon it to help facilitate key recommendations of the 'successful ageing' formula. Authoritative prescriptions for ageing well emphasise the benefits of social engagement, with television helping to facilitate this by involving the viewer with local concerns and wider accounts of human enterprise. Yet the popular media often presume that older people are no longer viable consumers or citizens, thus alienating them from mediated stories and populations. 'Success', according to commercial media sensibilities, is equated with youthfulness and economic means - twin attributes rarely associated with retired people. As a result, advertising is directed primarily at young, middle-class audiences, and the TV programmes to hook their attention are often typecast with similarly youthful protagonists. Older viewers are taken for granted and rarely acknowledged, and more disconcertingly, stereotyped and ridiculed to empower younger viewers. This dissertation seeks to explore these issues from a sociological perspective, primarily within the Australian context. Research strategies include a detailed analysis of the role of television in older people's lives and how they are portrayed, with results aligned with 'successful ageing' guidelines. Included in this approach is a study of how older people are portrayed on commercial TV in Australia, and a discussion of findings. The final section includes a chapter which consists of an examination of negative media portrayals from a political and human rights perspective, and the final chapter which asks how the oldest and frailest may by impacted by the cultural devaluation of old age.

Social media has had a significant impact on the tourism industry. Instagram has become a popular platform to share travel experiences due to the visual experience it offers users. This study utilised a case study approach to explore how small business, local tourism providers in the Shire of Collie, Western Australia (Collie), are using social media to promote their business and the destination. This study also examined how local tourism providers and social media users utilise hashtags on Instagram to represent a rural Western Australia tourist destination. The study included conducting semi-structured interviews with 11 local tourism providers representing five major requirements of a tourist destination (Dickman, 1989). Common barriers in using social media were identified. Challenges included inadequate time, difficulty in measuring the impact of social media and lack of knowledge using affordances, such as using functionalities effectively. Participants shared benefits of using social media, which included reaching a wider audience and a ‘younger’ demographic. The interviews also explored influences on local tourism providers’ social media use, including the influence of destination management organisations (DMO) activities and resources. A content analysis of hashtags on Instagram was undertaken to explore how hashtags are used in conjunction with Collie, including the most popular hashtags. Based on purposive sampling, ten hashtags related to tourism in Collie were selected. The hashtags included popular tourist attractions, such as #blackdiamondlake, and hashtags used on the Collie Visitor Centre Instagram page, including #collierivervalley and #colliewa. From this sample, five hashtags with the highest growth were used as the basis of exploration of other hashtags used in conjunction with the topic. The hashtags were categorised based on the level of DMO, to explore the influence of DMO marketing on hashtag use. Hashtags relating to Tourism Western Australia marketing campaigns such as #wanderoutyonder and #thisiswa, were amongst the most used hashtags. Finally, this study explored Kavaratzis’ (2004) theoretical framework for developing city brands and proposes changes to the model, to include local tourism providers and social media. The framework discusses three levels of communication representing different aspects of marketing a destination: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The study proposes changes to Kavaratzis’ (2004) framework, to reflect how communication has evolved to include social media and demonstrate how it can be used to describe communication in rural tourist destinations. This study provides a holistic approach to understanding how local tourism providers in a rural destination use social media, and may be utilised in other rural settings to develop destination image. The findings reflect that local tourism providers in Collie recognise the benefits of using social media for promotion, although there are barriers when using social media.

I commenced the Master of Philosophy in Applied Epidemiology (MAE) in February 2015. My field placements were shared between the Communicable Diseases Control Directorate, Public Health Division at the Western Australia Department of Health (CDCD) and the Telethon Kids Institute (TKI), both located in Perth. Two of the three projects that I completed at the CDCD involved a statewide protracted mumps outbreak that went on for the duration of my MAE and reached almost 900 cases. The epidemiology of this outbreak including a discussion about vaccination is presented in Chapter 1. This satisfies the outbreak investigation requirement of the MAE. Chapter 2 comprises a late draft manuscript that explores the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine among paediatric cases during the mumps outbreak. I designed and carried out a matched case-control study using paediatric outbreak cases and controls from a population database. I measured VE using a conditional logistic regression model and compared it with the screening method. Both methods yielded a very low VE this population. This is likely due to a multitude of factors that are discussed in the chapter. My work at TKI involved a data analysis using linked-administrative data on a total population birth cohort involving all children born in Western Australia between 1996-2012. I explored the burden of hospital separations that resulted from otitis media (OM), the most common infectious disease in children, and a common related procedure, myringotomy with ventilation tube insertion (MVTI). I calculated the age-specific hospitalisation rates for OM and MVTI over the study years. The second part of this analysis involved investigating the maternal and infant risk factors and population attributable fractions for OM-related hospitalisation in early life. This work was important because of its implications for practice. All of this is presented in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 is an evaluation of SmartVax, a novel, real-time Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) surveillance system using SMS text messages to communicate directly with vaccinees after their vaccination. This was the third project that I completed at the CDCD. The chapter begins with a peer-reviewed publication, Continuous active surveillance of adverse events following immunisation using SMS technology, that describes the system and analyses data outputs for children <5 years from 2011-2015. I have included the publication first to provide a brief system overview including summarised surveillance data, to give context to the evaluation since SmartVax is a relatively new and developing system. The publication is followed by the formal evaluation. Finally, I include a summary of the teaching exercises that I was involved in during my MAE. The first was a “lesson from the field” where I prepared an exercise for my fellow scholars. The exercise was useful for me and the feedback from my colleagues was positive. The second was a collaborative teaching exercise about confounding that we taught to the first year MAE scholars on their last day of courseblock. These combined activities at both placements have enriched my understanding of epidemiology while working in health and research environments.

Chapter 1 considers culture as a product of communication. The central problem is to understand how an array of influencing factors such as food supply, technology and physical and intellectual environment are represented, stored and shared as 'food culture'. It considers mechanisms by which culture might be transmitted from one location to another including the relevance of historical literature and Louis Hartz's notion of Australia as a 'cultural fragment' cast off from the Old World. Chapter 2 shows that the Australian literature represents a discourse in which information about various aspects of feeding was gathered from local and overseas sources and circulated for instruction, entertainment and use. The discourse and the means of conducting it were products of their age. Public participation was evident in the correspondence columns of weekly newspapers and in 'contributory' cookery books. The discourse drew on various themes that were prominent in other Western discourses and reflected social and moral values of the times. It evidenced beliefs that the manner of a society's feeding demonstrates the extent of its' civilisation and that refinement of food and feeding contributes to the improvement of society. It also reflected nationalist sentiment and demonstrated some attempts to develop a distinctive Australian cuisine. Chapter 3 supports these claims with detailed analysis of recipes published in a sample of journals and cookery books. Chapter 4 describes five instances which illustrate in more depth the influence of print media in culture development. The first two show deliberate use of print media to reform cookery practice. The third shows the role of print in cookery education, suggesting an alternative mechanism by which cookery in Australia retained its British character. The fourth tests the idea that the transmission of food and science cultural influences from the Old World to the New followed broadly similar paths and questions the origins of the domestic science movement. The fifth examines commercial influences exerted through print media and notes that food production, processing and distribution enterprise was to become increasingly influential as Australia (and other countries) turned to industrial feeding. The thesis concludes with some reflections on the processes of culture formation and the role of mass communications. It suggests that food culture is both an expression of conceptions of character and identity and a formative influence on them, that the engine of cultural change has been industrial progress and, finally, that the communication system which supports and enriches food culture may also tend to undermine it.

Human development has occurred against a timeline that has seen the creation of and diffusion of one innovation after another. These innovations range from language to complex computing and information technologies. The latter are assisting with the distribution of information, and extend to the distribution of the human species beyond the planet Earth. From early times, information has been published and mostly for a fee to the publisher. The absorption and use of information has had a high priority in most societies from early times, and has become institutionalised in universities and institutes of technical learning. For most in Western societies, education is now a matter of ‘lifelong learning’. Today, we see higher education institutions, worldwide, adapting their organisational structures and operating procedures and forming strategic alliances with communications content providers and carriers as well as with information technology companies. Modern educational institutes seek productivity and efficiency. Many also seek to differentiate themselves from competitors. Technological convergence is often seen by management to be a saviour in many educational organisations. It is hoped that lower capital and recurrent costs can be achieved, and that competitors in an increasingly globalised industry can be held at bay by strategic use of knowledge media (Eisenstadt, 1995) commonly associated with distance education in the campus setting. Knowledge media set up costs, intellectual property costs and training costs for staff and students are often so high as to make their use not viable for Australian institutes of higher education. Against this backdrop, one might expect greater educator and student use of publisher produced textbooks and digital enhancements to the textbook, particularly those involved in distance education. A major issue is whether or not the timing of instructor adoption of converging information technology and communications technologies aligns with the wishes of both higher education management and government, and with those who seek commercial gain from the diffusion and adoption of such technologies. Also at issue is whether or not it is possible to explain variance in stated intentions to recommend adoption of new learning technologies in higher education and implementation. Will there occur educator recommendation for adoption of individual knowledge media such as World Wide Web access to study materials by students? And what will be the form of this tool and others used in higher education? This thesis reports on more recent changes in the technological environment and seeks to contribute to an understanding of the factors that lead to a willingness, or unwillingness, on the part of higher education instructors, as influencers and content providers, to utilise these technologies. As such, it is a diffusion study which seeks to fill a gap in the literature. Diffusion studies typically focus on predicting adoption based on characteristics of the potential adopter. Few studies examine the relationship between characteristics of the innovation and adoption. Nearly all diffusion studies involve what is termed discontinuous innovation (Robertson, 1971). That is, the innovation involves adoptees in a major departure from previous practice. This study seeks to examine the relationship between previous experience of related technologies and adoption or rejection of dynamically continuous innovation. Continuous and dynamically continuous innovations are the most numerous in the real world, yet they are numerically the least scrutinised by way of academic research. Moreover, the three-year longitudinal study of educators in Australian and New Zealand meets important criteria laid down by researchers Tornatzky and Klein (1982) and Rogers (1995), that are often not met by similar studies. In particular the study examines diffusion as it is unfolding, rather than selectively examining a single innovation and after the fact, thus avoiding a possible pro-innovation bias. The study examines the situation for both ‘all educators’ and ‘marketing / management educators’ alone in seeking to meet the following aim: Establish if intended adopters of specific knowledge media have had more experience of other computer-based technologies than have those not intending to adopt said knowledge media. The analytical phase entails use of factor analysis and discriminant analysis to conclude that it is possible to discriminate adopters of selected knowledge media based on previous use of related technologies. The study does not find any generalised factor that enables such discrimination among educators. Thus the study supports the literature in part, but fails to find generalised factors that enable unambiguous prediction of knowledge media adoption or otherwise among each grouping of educators examined. The implications are that even in the case of related products and services (continuous or dynamically continuous innovation), there is not statistical certainty that prior usage of related products or technologies is related to intentions to use knowledge media in the future. In this regard, the present study might be said to confirm the view that Rogers and Shoemaker's (1971) conceptualisation of perceived innovation characteristics may only apply to discontinuous innovations (Stratton, Lumpkin & Vitell, 1997). The implications for stakeholders such as higher education management is that when seeking to appoint new educators or existing staff to knowledge media project teams, there is some support for the notion that those who already use World Wide Web based technologies are likely to take these technologies into teaching situations. The same claim cannot be made for computer software use in general, nor Internet use in general.

Gender has been identified as a key element of human identity. Feminism has focussed particular attention on gender issues over the past five decades. Gender discourse has been dominated by discussion of women and women’s issues - “feminists have somehow set the agenda for men’s studies” as well as women studies. Mass media have been identified as key sites of discourse in feminist studies. Numerous studies have examined representations of women in mass media and argued that these have significant effects on women, on men, and on societies. A number of researchers have found that the treatment of men in mass media is not unproblematic and say that that feminist-led discourses have presented pictures of men as rapists, batterers, pornographers, child abusers, militarists, exploiters, and images of women as targets and victims. But studies of representations of men have been far fewer than those focussing on women. Furthermore, some media content analyses have been limited or unreliable because of small samples or lack of methodological rigor
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This study examines the adoption of social media for work-related knowledge sharing (KS) in the Australian construction industry. A new model has been developed. Mixed research methods including a survey and interviews were conducted. Performance expectancy, knowledge sharing self-efficacy, and facilitating conditions were the factors affecting the adoption of social media for KS by construction professionals in Australia. Trust played a critical role in enhancing potential enablers and reducing barriers for social media Verification, and monitoring mechanisms are suggested for improving levels of trust. The findings contribute to improving KS in the construction industry.

This study investigates how contemporary Australian families incorporate the consumption of multiple media technologies within their home environments. It uses an approach similar to David Morley's (1986) Family Television where he explored the consumption of television programs in the context of everyday family life. He viewed the household (or family) as the key to constructing understandings of the television audience; where there were gendered regimes of watching, and where program choice often reflected existing power relationships in the home. However since then (a time when most families had only one television set) the media environment of many homes has changed. The addition of multiple television sets, along with newer digital technologies such as computers and game consoles, has introduced a new dynamics of social space within the household. Therefore, the family living room, with its erstwhile shared television culture, has become a less critical site of domestic media consumption. With the migration of television sets and new digital technologies to other spaces in the home, claims over time and space have become even more intimately involved with the domestic use of media technologies. Consequently, this study critically analyses the relationship between media consumption and the geographical spaces and boundaries within the home. Drawing upon interviews with all family members, this thesis argues that the incorporation of multiple media technologies in many households has coincided with significant changes to the spatial geography of these homes, along with a rearticulation of gendered and generational power relationships. Extra media spaces in bedrooms, hallways, home offices and 'nooks’ have freed up the lounge room, possibly allowing for more harmony and accord within the family, but also reducing the amount of time the family spends together. At the same time the newer media spaces become additional sites for gendered and generational conflict and tension. This study uses an audience ethnography approach to explore and analyse media consumption at the micro level, that of the individual within the household/family. Twenty-three in-depth conversational interviews and observations of children and adults living in six technologically rich households in suburban and regional areas of Western Australia formed the basis of this thesis. Themes and issues that emerged from this qualitative research process include the gendered nature of screens in children's bedrooms, the extent to which a media-rich bedroom culture is evident in Australia, the existence of a masculine gadgeteer culture within some families in the study, the social construction of gaming as a gendered (boy) culture, gendered pathways on the Internet and the reintegration of adult acknowledge-based work into the family home. The thesis also addresses digital divide issues relating to inequities in access, technical and social support, motivation and the quality of new digital technologies available in the home.

The issue of pay television has generated a plethora of reports and submissions from politicians, bureaucrats and industrialists for a decade. That the issue is not yet resolved is the result of many factors, all of which serve to highlight the structural complexities of the Australian electronic media system. At the political level, social policy is in a state of transition and broadcasting policy has reflected this. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) have been forced to reappraise their roles as public broadcasters. The commercial networks have seen their reserves and their profitability deteriorate drastically in an environment of poor management, fluctuating government policy and a depressed national economy. The Australian Broadcasting Tribunal (ABT), the federal regulator of commercial broadcasting, is struggling to adapt to these new circumstances, and is confronted by new challenges to its powers and responsibilities. Ideally, a discussion on the introduction of pay television would be conducted within the context of a comprehensive and established federal broadcasting policy. Basic to this thesis is the perception that no such policy exists. It is left to the analyst to speculate as to the intentions evident in Government initiatives, suggest the potential impact of pay television in that light, and offer constructive criticism accordingly. This thesis recognises that pay television seems inevitable as both major political parties are committed, in principle at least, to its introduction. This thesis sets itself the following objectives: to identify the salient components that serve to define pay television; to develop and employ a methodology to extract lessons from the experiences of others with pay television, whilst remaining sensitive to historical and structural context; to apply those lessons to the Australia condition; and to make recommendations on the introduction of pay television, based on both the definitional and comparative work of this thesis, within the context of contemporary Government deliberations, as evident in the Report from the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Transport, Communications and Infrastructure of November 1989.

The terrorist attcks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon on 11 September 2001 heralded an era of unprecedented media and public attention on the global phenomenon of terrorism. Implicit in the Australian media's discourse on terrorism that evolved out of the events of 11 September is a construction of the Western world (and specifically Australia) as perpetually at threat of terrorism.

The 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre can be justifiably viewed as a turning point in relations between the Islamic world and the West, foregrounding a dominant pejorative representation of Muslims and Islam that continues unabated. The aim of this thesis is to explore media representations of Howard Government discourse about Muslims in Australia from 2001 to 2007. The research examined three prominent and highly popularised cases relating to Islam and Muslims, namely comments made in 2006 by the ex-Grand Mufti of Australian Muslims, Sheik Hilali; the arrest and detention in 2007 of Doctor Mohamed Haneef; and the discourse surrounding the traditional female Muslim garment known as the hijab. This thesis examines the language used by the government and by News Limited print media when referring to Muslims and Islam from 2001 to 2007, to ascertain whether there was a marked increase in the use of terms that could be classified as being negative or perpetuating stereotypes. I used a combined qualitative/quantitative methodology to examine both the collated newspaper articles and political documents.
Thesis (Masters)
Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science
Arts, Education and Law
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A considerable amount of literature examines the impact of the Internet and social media on the practice of democracy in liberal democratic contexts and on the democratization process in nondemocratic contexts. However, little is known about the rise and implications of using the Internet and social media platforms for democratization process in a hybrid political system, like that of Iraqi Kurdistan, which combines elements of both democracy and authoritarianism. This study asks: how does the rise of the Internet and social media platforms influence democracy and democratization in Iraqi Kurdistan? To this end, the study assesses both the relationship between the use of social media platforms by citizens, politicians, electoral candidates, and political parties, as well as political participation and political communication, which are selected as important elements of democratization. It specifically examines the use of social media through three case studies: the Slemani protest movement in 2011; political discussion between citizens and party leaders of two political parties, the Patriotic union of Kurdistan (PUK), and the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU); and the 2013 parliamentary elections. The study is based on original qualitative interviews with activists, politicians, and party leaders, and an analysis of relevant social media content in the Kurdish language, especially on the social media platform, Facebook. The thesis finds that social media platforms facilitate political participation and political communication in terms of reducing the constraints for organizing and coordinating collective action. They also facilitate political discussion between party leaders and citizens, and provide more access to relevant information for citizens. Furthermore, they expand the scope of freedom of speech by providing opportunities to discuss political issues and other issues of common interest, and facilitate the dissemination of information by electoral candidates and reduce campaign costs. However, the thesis argues that the increasing ease of political participation and political communication, as a result of social media usage, should not be equated with democratization. This is because those in power also use social media but in ways that are counter-productive to democratization. For example, security forces use social media to monitor and gather information about citizens and social movement activists; Political parties and their leaders also use online and social media platforms to distribute pro-party propaganda and to launch online attacks on political rivals, spreading a culture of hatred, violence and nondemocratic values, rather than promoting the discussion of policy issues and government decisions. Election candidates use online resources primarily to win a seat in parliament and empower their campaign rather than engaging with voters in a way that generates productive, healthy, rational, and deep political conversation.

Doctor of Philosophy(PhD)
This thesis is a contrastive genre study which explores newspaper commentaries on terrorism in Chinese and Australian newspapers. The study examines the textual patterning of the Australian and Chinese commentaries, interpersonal and intertextual features of the texts as well as considers possible contextual factors which might contribute to the formation of the newspaper commentaries in the two different languages and cultures. For the framework of its analysis, the study draws on systemic functional linguistics, English for Specific Purposes and new rhetoric genre studies, critical discourse analysis, and discussions of the role of the mass media in the two different cultures. The study reveals that Chinese writers often use explanatory rather than argumentative expositions in their newspaper commentaries. They seem to distance themselves from outside sources and seldom indicate endorsement of these sources. Australian writers, on the other hand, predominantly use argumentative expositions to argue their points of view. They integrate and manipulate outside sources in various ways to establish and provide support for the views they express. It is argued that these textual and intertextual practices are closely related to contextual factors, especially the roles of the media and opinion discourse in contemporary China and Australia. The study, by providing both a textual and contextual view of the genre under investigation in the two languages and cultures, aims to establish a framework for contrastive rhetoric research which moves beyond the text into the context of production and interpretation of the texts as a way of exploring reasons for the linguistic and rhetorical choices made in the two sets of texts.

Fashion journalism can be understood as a complex, inter-dependent set of professional practices that have arisen in a variety of media at the intersection of fashion and journalism. This thesis, Fashion Meets Journalism: Mapping and Evaluating Australian Fashion Journalism, answers the question, 'What is Australian fashion journalism?' in three stages: First, it maps the extent of fashion journalism across media in Australia to locate the field and focus on the sites of fashion journalism; second, it foregrounds practices of the journalism branch, evaluating how and why the field is pitted against other types of journalism when they share an inter-dependent set of professional practices. The opinions of leading industry producers are also sought regarding the matter. Then, considering the current position of fashion journalism, implications for fashion media and journalism are explored in order to improve the visibility of fashion journalism and solidify it as a professional practice.

Prior to 1994 I had little interest in the activities of the police. As a mass media consumer I was aware of the prominence of crime in the daily news agenda and I watched, read and listened to potted summaries of rape, mayhem and murder. Frequent too, were stories of police malpractice, incompetence and corruption. Police stories were also a significant part of television drama with programs like the long running British series The Bill, and a range of Australian productions: The Feds, Halifax f.p, Rafferty's Rules, Blue Heelers, State Coroner, and Water Rats. The police also featured at the cinema with crime genre movies Natural Born Killers (Oliver Stone, USA), Once Were Warriors (Lee Tamahori, New Zealand) and Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, USA) becoming box office hits. My interest in the portrayal of police change dramatically when on the 7th of October 1994, I was appointed Officer-in-Charge of the Media and Publications Branch of the Australian Federal Police (AFP). I was responsible for all aspects of the communication function including: media liaison, crisis management, media management, publications and internal communication. My branch dealt with media inquiries from local, national and international media across the gamut of issues facing the AFP. These ranged fiom industrial issues about budgets and overtime, allegations of corruption and incompetence, and operational matters as diverse as burglaries, alleged Nazi war criminals, peace-keeping operations and drug 'busts'. Needless to say my police stakeholders did not always see things the same way as my media colleagues. I was seeing at a practical day-to-day level the complex taxonomy of police/media relations outlined by Putnis (1996). Putnis noted the ubiquity of the police and the media as social institutions and observed that their daily operations involved a complex, dynamic, relationship constructed out of many thousands of interactions, across all levels of the organisations, in many different settings. My experiences in dealing with the media became the genesis of this study. My aim is to expand our understanding of the police/media relationship by exploring characteristic forms of print news-media reports about policing, the impact these reports have on police, and on law and order policy. The possibility of bias towards police in this study is acknowledged given I was a member of a police service fiom 1994 until 2002 and the research relies heavily on 'participant observer' techniques (Kay 1997; Potter1 996; Schofield 1993). Every effort has been made to maintain a critical perspective on the subject matters raised and it should be noted my association with police ended prior to the writing-up phase of the research. In addition to comments fiom my supervisory panel, ongoing discussions with media colleagues were another strategy adopted to ensure balance in the writing-up of this study. This is a unique study in that it offers an insider's perspective of police/media relations and at a time that represented a watershed for police. The early 90s was a period of straightened finances for public sector agencies and police, like other agencies, were under pressure fiom governments to demonstrate the efficient use of public monies (AFP 1995; Grieve 2000). Reform programs swept through policing with many, like the AFP, being organised along business lines (Palmer 1995; Etter 1995; Rohl 1999; WAPOL 1999). The 90s were also a watershed for criminal organisations with the emergence of transnational criminal syndicates, such as drug traffickers, that had the potential to impact on crime at a local level without even entering the country, let alone the jurisdiction, in which the crime took place (Bliss and Harfield 1998; Palmer 1995; McFarlane 1999). In order to combat these syndicates, police began to work in a more cooperative fashion and formed loose coalitions, often across countries, in a manner similar to the criminal syndicates they were trying to combat (Palmer 1995). The 90s also saw the continuation of committees of inquiry and royal commissions into police malpractice (Landa and Dillon 1995) and the inevitable bad press for police (Wood 1996; Munday 1995). The media and police have a symbiotic relationship and it is a critical one as most members of society have little direct contact with the criminal justice system. Information about crime, and the efforts of police to combat it, is obtained second hand through fictional accounts from such vehicles as television dramas, and from the news media. As aptly described by Hall et al. (1975), nearly thirty years ago, the media is the link between crime and the public. The police are therefore heavily reliant on the media to provide a balanced account of the panoply of issues surrounding the criminal justice system (Cowdery 2001). At its most fundamental, police require the support of the communities they serve in order to be effective, and the news media can have a major impact on perceptions about police performance (Reiner 1997; Surette 1992). As organisational entities, police need to compete with other bureaucracies for public hnding, and the media is an essential tool in generating positive publicity about successful operations and policies. The media is, therefore, critical to the maintenance of positive relationships with the two most important stakeholders in the policing function: the community and the government. McGregor (1993) provides a useful summary of the literature relating to print media coverage of policing issues: there are substantial discrepancies between official accounts of criminal activity and press reports of crime; the media tends to homogenise crime by concentrating on a limited range of crimes (mainly violent crime) and drawing facts from a limited range of sources (police/court reports); the media over-report serious crimes, especially murder and crimes with a sexual element; and, the press concentrates crime reportage on events rather than issues, so crime incidents and specific crimes form the bulk of crime news as opposed to analyses of the causes of crime or remedies, trends or issues. McQuail (1994, p.256) reminds us that assessing media performance on the basis of media content, measured against the extent to which content relates to reality, is open to question. He argues that there is no general answer to questions of meaning construction, but media research has pointed to several elements in a more general framework of social and personal meanings including clues as to what is more or less important, salient or relevant in many different contexts (1994, p. 379). An important research question concerns the impact of news media practices, particularly given the significant costs to the community flowing from the commission of crime, its investigation by police, and the processing of offenders through the criminal justice system. The Australian Institute of Criminology estimates the cost of crime in Australia is approximately $19 billion, while the cost of dealing with crime is another $13 billion (Mayhew 2003). The news media, articulated through radio talk-back hosts, are seen as having undue influence on how public funds on crime control are spent (ABC, The Media Report, 1 August 2002; Chan 1995; Cowdery 2001; Dixon 2002; Weatherbum 2002). These commentators have pointed to the serious public policy issues arising from the contribution made by the media towards what Weatherburn describes as an irrational public debate about law and order (2002, p. 12) and Hogg and Brown have coined 'the uncivil politics of law and order' (1998, p. 4). As Hogg and Brown (1998, p. 4) observe: crime is depicted as a problem of ever-increasing gravity set to overwhelm society unless urgent, typically punitive measures are taken to control and suppress it. The influence of the media on public policy has long been recognised. As Paletz and Entmann (l981, p. 6) observe: they influence the decisions and actions of politicians; they are open to manipulation by the powerful which insulates the powerful fiom accountability to the public; they reallocate power amongst the already powerful; they decreased to a marked extent the ability of ordinary citizens to judge events; they foment discontent among the public; and they preserve the legitimacy of the political, economic and social system. Ethnomethodological approaches (Ericson and Haggerty 1997) underpin the research in this study. The ethnomethodological approach was used because of its wider scope, employing as it does, observation, interviewing, and document-analysis techniques (Ericson et al. 1987, p. 77) and its ability to provide meaning and context to the phenomena under observation (Hall 1978; Willis l981). Ethnomethodological approaches are complemented by news framing analyses (Barkin and Gurevitch 1987; Blood, Putnis and Pirkis 2002; Capella and Jamieson 1996; Coleman 1995; Entman 1993; Kitzinger 2000; Keely 1999; Darling-Wolf 1997; London 1993; Pan and Kosicki 2001; Miller and Riechert 2001; Pirkis and Blood 2001; Reese, Gandy and Grant 2003; Scheufele 1999) to explore the news media frames employed in the genre of print crime reporting. What emerges from the study is evidence of a one-sided, highly negative, discourse about policing implemented through a range of media frames centred on conflict and broader xenophobic and egalitarian narratives. Despite the advantages police have as information gatekeepers, their attempts to manage the media environment have met with little success (Hughes 2004; Williams 2002) and the need for police to restrict access to police communications is being challenged (Crime and Misconduct Commission 2004, Inquiry into the effects of a Queensland Police Service decision to adopt digital technology for radio communications). There are exceptions, of course: the news media are not all bad. Routine reporting of crimes, where details of offenders are publicised, greatly assists the work of police as reflected in the case of 43-year-old Mr Colin George Dunstan which is discussed in Chapter Eight. Dunstan sent a series of explosive devices through the mail system in Canberra and police provided the media with photographs of the devices, Mr Dunstan (who was the main suspect), and his vehicle. The media coverage restricted Mr Dunstan's movements and led to his early arrest. Similarly, publication of the details of missing persons, warnings about lethal batches of drugs and crimes such as drink-spiking, enable police to reach a mass audience efficiently and quickly. And at a more abstract level, as noted by McQuail (1994, p. 34), modem communication vehicles can make a positive contribution to cohesion and community. The emergence of the 'yapping pack' form of journalism (Tiffen 1999, p. 207) has resulted in elements of the media exercising a worrying degree of influence over what should be a broader and better informed debate about criminal justice issues. An illustration of this process occurred toward the end of this study with the widely reported spectacle of the Premier of New South Wales presenting his replacement police minister before radio presenter Mr Alan Jones for his endorsement; the subsequent involvement of that minister in operational police matters (Williams 2002); and the departure of the state's police commissioner as a result of sustained media attack (ABC, The Media Report, 1 August 2002; Weatherburn 2002). These incidents say much about the influence of the news media in relation to police matters and makes this study a timely one. What follows is a literature review examining contemporary trends in policing and the media; a detailed analysis of two major case studies involving complex police operations; an analysis of a number of examples of print media reports about policing, to identify typical, or characteristic, media frames; the findings from nearly 50 interviews with senior people involved in the policelmedia interface; and an examination of changes in the milieu in which media reports about policing occur.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate an instrument designed to assess the influence of the media on opinions regarding the one percent motorcycle clubs in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, establishing whether the media had incited a moral panic towards the clubs. The concept of the moral panic, developed by Stanley Cohen iii ( 1972), is the widespread fear towards a social group by events that are overrepresented and exaggerated. Exploring the concept of a moral panic towards the one percent sub-culture, this study compares the perceptions from two groups of non-members in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. One group of participants had interacted with club members (n =13); the other had no direct contact with club members and identified themselves as basing their opinions towards the clubs on information from the media (n =13). It was hypothesised that the two patticipant groups would differ on their opinions regarding the clubs' autonomy, brotherhood, the righteous biker model, and the perceived image of one percent members. Participants were requested to complete the Perception of the One Percent Motorcycle Sub-culture Questionnaire. Quantitative data were analysed using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test. The findings suggest little differences between the groups, indicating a moral panic towards one percent motorcycle clubs has not been identified by the instrument. Recommendations for improvement in the research design for a comprehensive study include modification to sampling techniques, Likert scales and analysis techniques. Further research is required to validate the present findings.

This thesis examines the intersection of popular cultural representations of HIV and AIDS and the discourses of public health campaigns. Part Two provides a comprehensive record of all HIV related storylines in Australian television drama from the first AIDS episode of The Flying Doctors in 1986 to the ongoing narrative of Pacific Drive, with its core HIV character, in 1996. Textual representations are examined alongside the agency of "cultural technicians" working within the television industry. The framework for this analysis is established in Part One of the thesis, which examines the discursive contexts for speaking about HIV and AIDS established through national health policy and the regulatory and industry framework for broadcasting in Australia. The thesis examines the dominant liberal democratic framework for representation of HIV I AIDS and adopts a Foucauldian understanding of the processes of governmentality to argue that during the period of the 1980s and 1990s a strand of social democratic discourse combined with practices of self management and the management of the Australian population. The actions of committed agents within both domains of popular culture and health education ensured that more challenging expressions of HIV found their way into public culture.

Defamation law‘s truth defence – the oldest, most obvious and principal defence – has failed Australian media defendants. Few who mount the defence succeed. Many, discouraged by the defence‘s onerousness, do not even attempt it. As a consequence the journalistic articulation of matters of public concern is stifled. This thesis argues that the limitations of the Australian truth defence are inconsistent with established freedom of speech ideals and the public interest in having a robust media. As a result society is constrained from enlightened participation in public affairs. This thesis proposes reforms to alleviate the heavy demands of the defence so as to promote the publication of matters of public concern and to strike a more contemporary balance between freedom of speech and the protection of reputation. These reforms employ defamation law‘s doctrinal calculus to reposition the speech-reputation fulcrum. While defamation law has for decades attracted reform attention, the truth defence has languished by the wayside. This thesis steps into the breech. The cornerstone of this thesis is a proposal to reverse the burden so that the plaintiff bears the burden of proving falsity of the defamatory publication where: the complainant is a public figure; the matter complained about is a matter of public concern; and the suit involves a media defendant. While this proposal is likely to dramatically alter the prevailing Australian freedom of speech/protection of reputation equilibrium, other measures are proposed to serve as a bulwark against the wanton destruction of reputation.

This research used critical discourse analysis to explore the ways people from refugee backgrounds’ participation in music is constructed in the Australian news media. Using Fairclough’s three-dimensional framework, findings revealed that, while the media ostensibly tells stories of hopefulness derived from the joy of music, the workings of racialised power within the discourse remain deeply intertwined. Social tropes which often accompany music intersect with deficit and othering discourses surrounding people from refugee backgrounds. This research emphasises the need for a critically reflective social work practice to resist and challenge dominant discourses that disempower people seeking refuge.

Social networks have changed the nature of communication in the modern world: they have changed how people communicate, the frequency and mode of communication, and how people relate to those communications. Social networks have also changed the type of information that is communicated. One of the notable developments has been a proliferation of the sharing of images that people have taken themselves. From the ubiquitous selfie through to group shots, personal images are now a key part of modern social communication. A number of problems have arisen as a consequence of the rapid increase in the sharing of personal images online. This is because personal images uploaded online are, more now than ever, prone to misuse. Third parties are easily able to reuse, distort and alter images that are uploaded on social networks. As a result, people are at risk of losing control over the images that they upload online.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Griffith Law School
Arts, Education and Law
Full Text

Thesis advisor: Rebecca Nedostup
As my friends and I look forward to graduating this 2004, we are burdened with the task of carrying ourselves as delegates and agents of our respective societies. The challenge is even more exhaustive in the sense that the global landscape has been significantly altered as such so that we now live in a world which runs on a new breed of geopolitics; theories of interdependence perpetually interlock nation states in enduring fellowships of cooperation. Keeping this and the lessons that we've learned (both in the classroom and otherwise) in mind, there is an urgency to prevent and avoid future mass conflicts and ensure peaceful change. While this remains a worthy objective, the scope and complexities of modern-day world politics demands an understanding of a much wider range of issues. Moreover, new conceptual frameworks and theories are required to improve our understanding and assist in the development of better policies and practices. By human nature there naturally exists self-imposed obstacles and boundaries, which threaten to hinder progress. A more sophisticated knowledge and thorough education become essential countermeasures to safeguard growth and development. Within the realm of a research paper, the investigation and analysis of this subject can hardly be brought to a satisfactory conclusion within a reasonable amount of time. Therefore I choose to concentrate on the mechanisms, which shape the relationship between two highly visible, dominant and powerful global antagonists: the United States of America and the People's Republic of China. With the end of the Cold War era and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the United States was solidified as the most potent contender in the international arena. This title endured relatively undisputed and has remained fairly unchanged for the next decade thereafter. Interestingly enough though it was during this same period that China was concurrently grabbing headlines with its rapid development in many sectors. Analysts, professionals and experts are all in concurrence when they predict that by the first half of the 21st century this traditional Asian powerhouse will have met or surpassed the United States in stature and influence. It is reasonable, and accurate, to assume that US-Sino relations will have an unparalleled influence within the spectrum of international cooperation politically, culturally, and economically. Presently nations are vigilantly forming implicit alliances as they conceptually allocate themselves in favorable positions for the resurrection of a bipolar global infrastructure. From my delimited personal experience, I have unfortunately discovered a significant number of my peers are ignorant of these developing trends and the implications of this interrelationship. The purpose of this thesis is to converse with an audience comprised of individuals similar to those that I have met in these past four years, namely: intelligent and educated young Americans who are simply not informed of the nature, potential and circumstances surrounding US-Sino relations and policy. In this light, I intend to further specify the concentration of this study largely on the relationship that western media has with US-Sino relations. There will be a special emphasis and focus on the modern issue of human rights and trade. Furthermore, the bulk of the analysis will be limited within the timeframe of the three most recent American presidencies: George Bush (1989-1993), Bill Clinton (1993-2001), and George W. Bush (2001-present). The purpose of the first chapter is to give the reader a solid idea of the general issues that have plagued US-Sino relations in recent modern history. Again from personal experience it has come to my attention that the average American student has a narrow education concerning US-Sino relations often pervaded with misconceptions, which are not compensated for in personal readings. This recess of knowledge is particularly apparent concerning all episodes and trends that took place prior to the birth and maturation of our generation; mainly everything that took place before the early post-Cold war era of the 1980's. I feel that in order to have a solid grasp of current US-Sino relations, one must construct a respectable appreciation and foundation of knowledge concerning the historical events that took place from 1971 to the present.After this brief history lesson the thesis will explore the composite components that make up the media. It is from these resources that most college students in American draw their first and sometimes, only, impression of US-Sino relations. This section attempts to create a framework by which the media is broken down into its fundamental and more understandable elements. It is necessary to analyze the fabrics of the media; from the concept of self-perception, stereotypes, propaganda, and interest groups to the purpose that it serves as a median by which images of diplomatic-strategy are marketed. In short, the second chapter attempts to place the western media in a comprehensible light, enough so that the reader may continue with the remainder of the thesis with enough insight to make educated judgments. The dilemma between trade incentive and democratic moral ground is the key example that this thesis will use to illustrate the behavior of the mass media and the manners in which it can exert pressure on policy-making. Thus, a more mature understanding of the human rights debate is required. The third chapter explores the human rights issue in depth; tracing the evolution of the issue through contemporary history whilst highlighting this narrative with headlines from the press and mass media. The third chapter will additionally explore economics and trade relations in a similar manner using samples taken from primary sources. Finally, the core debate concerning these two issues will be scrutinized, analyzed and illustrated with headlines and proper examples from the media. In this realm analysis will naturally require some elements of subjective interpretation to hold any meaning. It is my hope that my audience will be able to walk away with that cultivated and deeper understanding not only of the media's capacity in shaping US foreign policy towards China but also the misleading conclusion that are often drawn from such a habit. It is important to keep in mind that perceptual gaps whether based on diverging cultures, histories, ideologies or all three, can be dangerous mental barriers. Because a significant portion of this thesis will also be concentrating on the manner in which lucrative trade and investment potential more often than not edge out the human rights concerns in modern US-Sino relations debates, the moral of the story will have to be interpreted by the reader him/herself. However, due to the fact that these issues, as well as the periphery issues that surround it, are so new and in a state of constant re-evolution, the fluidity of the subject makes it fairly difficult to draw conclusions. Moreover, it is also rather problematic to make firm stances and opinions either for one side or the other but I will write briefly on my own thoughts and opinions. Thus, ultimately I write this thesis in hopes to raise the issue of US-Sino cooperation into the consciousness of the young American mindset by providing an intelligent background upon which they may draw their own summations while being conscious of the influential ideas propagated by the media and the press around them
Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2004
Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: College Honors Program

This thesis presents a controversy analysis of Tesla’s (big) battery, which was an imagined technology introduced via a wager on Twitter, in 2017, to solve an ongoing power crisis controversy in Australia. This research explores the co-constitution of Tesla’s (big) battery through the key events, actors, and issues raised by publics on social media and problematises the simple “green” narratives. In doing so, this thesis illustrates how particular imaginaries about certain people, technologies, and issues shaped renewable energy policy and outcomes in Australia.

In this thesis, I analyse the representation of grooming in Australian men’s lifestyle magazines to explore the emergence of new masculine subjectivities constructed around narcissism and the adoption of previously feminine-coded products and practices which may indicate important shifts in the cultural meanings of Australian masculinity. However, in order to talk about ‘new’ subjectivities and ‘shifts’ in masculine behaviours and cultural ideals, then it is imperative to demonstrate ‘old’ practices and ideologies, and so while the thesis is concerned with discourses of grooming and models of masculinity presented in the new genre of men’s lifestyle titles which appeared on the Australian market in the late 1990s, it frames this discussion with detailed analyses of previously unexplored Australian men’s general interest magazines from the 1930s. According to Frank Mort consumption, traditionally associated with the feminine has now become a central part of imagining men (1996: 17-18) while the representation and sale of masculinity is an increasingly important part of the ‘cultural economy’ (Mikosza, 2003). In this thesis I am concerned with the role of men’s lifestyle magazines and magazine representations of masculinity in the ‘cultural economy’ of mediated male grooming cultures.

In this thesis, I analyse the representation of grooming in Australian men’s lifestyle magazines to explore the emergence of new masculine subjectivities constructed around narcissism and the adoption of previously feminine-coded products and practices which may indicate important shifts in the cultural meanings of Australian masculinity. However, in order to talk about ‘new’ subjectivities and ‘shifts’ in masculine behaviours and cultural ideals, then it is imperative to demonstrate ‘old’ practices and ideologies, and so while the thesis is concerned with discourses of grooming and models of masculinity presented in the new genre of men’s lifestyle titles which appeared on the Australian market in the late 1990s, it frames this discussion with detailed analyses of previously unexplored Australian men’s general interest magazines from the 1930s. According to Frank Mort consumption, traditionally associated with the feminine has now become a central part of imagining men (1996: 17-18) while the representation and sale of masculinity is an increasingly important part of the ‘cultural economy’ (Mikosza, 2003). In this thesis I am concerned with the role of men’s lifestyle magazines and magazine representations of masculinity in the ‘cultural economy’ of mediated male grooming cultures.

The 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania in which 35 people were shot and killed and several others wounded was an alarming event in Australia's history. The Port Arthur massacre showed Australians that they were not immune from terrible acts of violence. The massacre dominated discussions, conversations and attention in the Australian community and also received international attention. It was an emotional and heart felt incident which caused a nation to pause at the devastation but also question the very fabric of Australian society and personal and public safety and the availability and access to firearms in the community. The media identified the story and reported it substantially. They identified community concerns at the event and the perceived inadequacies of the existing gun laws. The framing of the issue by the media and its ongoing interest and reportage of gun laws was a key factor in the action and policy response by the Government. Being aware of the community concern, Government's responded quickly to the tragedy, announcing an historic agreement among state police Ministers and the Commonwealth Government to introduce National Uniform Gun Laws. The massacre and the gun laws reform was a major issue of reporting by the media. The coverage was extensive and ongoing. While not in a position to enact decisions on policy-making, the media was an active participant in lobbying for reform, keeping the issue alive and pressuring government through its reporting to act decisively towards reform.

A cross-national comparison of 1) marketing strategies used by leading Indian and Australian alcohol brands on their official social media (SM) pages and 2) the association between exposure to SM alcohol marketing and alcohol use among young Indians and Australians, was conducted. Results suggest that alcohol companies tailor strategies to specific national contexts to engage users with these strategies. Significant associations were identified between alcohol-related content posted on SM and young people’s alcohol use.

This thesis investigates the history of the construction of knowledge in the school subject media studies using the Western Australian experience as the case for the study. It seeks to explain why the subject media studies looks and sounds the way it does today through the production of a genealogy of the subject. The problems addressed are first, why was this subject introduced into the curriculum in the 1970s. Secondly, how has the knowledge in the subject been defined and contested, how and why has it changed in the course of the subject’s history. Thirdly, which knowledge attains the status of truth and becomes the accepted definition of what the subject is about.

Cultural diversity is a central issue of our times, although with different emphases in the European and Australian context. Media and communication studies have begun to draw on work in translation studies to understand how diversity is experienced across hybrid cultures. Translation is required both for multilingual (multicultural) societies such as Australia and for trans-national entities such as the European Union. Translation is also of increasing importance politically and even emotionally as individual nations and regions face the challenge of globalisation, migration, and the Americanisation of media content. The thesis draws on cultural and media policy analysis. Programming strategies are reviewed and 'conversational' interviews conducted with broadcasting managers and staff at SBS Australia and across multilingual public broadcasters in the EU (BBC WS, Deutsche Welle, ARTE, Radio Multikulti Berlin, Barcelona Televisió). These are used to investigate the issues, challenges, and uses of the multilingual broadcasting logic for Australia's and Europe's cultural realities. This thesis uses the concept of 'translation' as a key metaphor for bridging differences and establishing connections among multicultural citizens in the context of the European Union and Australia. It is proposed that of the two versions of translation - institutional in the EU and mediated in Australia respectively - the mediated version has achieved higher success in engaging ordinary citizens in more affective, informal and everyday forms of cross-cultural communication. Specifically, the experience of the Special Broadcasting Service (Australia's multilingual and multicultural public broadcaster) serves as a model to illuminate the cultural consequences of the failure of the EU to develop translation practices beyond the level of official, institutional and political communication. The main finding is the identification of a need for more mediated interlingual exchange; that is a translation of language policy in Europe into media experience for ordinary citizen-consumers, at both institutional and textual levels.

Cultural diversity is a central issue of our times, although with different emphases in the European and Australian context. Media and communication studies have begun to draw on work in translation studies to understand how diversity is experienced across hybrid cultures. Translation is required both for multilingual (multicultural) societies such as Australia and for trans-national entities such as the European Union. Translation is also of increasing importance politically and even emotionally as individual nations and regions face the challenge of globalisation, migration, and the Americanisation of media content. The thesis draws on cultural and media policy analysis. Programming strategies are reviewed and 'conversational' interviews conducted with broadcasting managers and staff at SBS Australia and across multilingual public broadcasters in the EU (BBC WS, Deutsche Welle, ARTE, Radio Multikulti Berlin, Barcelona Televisió). These are used to investigate the issues, challenges, and uses of the multilingual broadcasting logic for Australia's and Europe's cultural realities. This thesis uses the concept of 'translation' as a key metaphor for bridging differences and establishing connections among multicultural citizens in the context of the European Union and Australia. It is proposed that of the two versions of translation - institutional in the EU and mediated in Australia respectively - the mediated version has achieved higher success in engaging ordinary citizens in more affective, informal and everyday forms of cross-cultural communication. Specifically, the experience of the Special Broadcasting Service (Australia's multilingual and multicultural public broadcaster) serves as a model to illuminate the cultural consequences of the failure of the EU to develop translation practices beyond the level of official, institutional and political communication. The main finding is the identification of a need for more mediated interlingual exchange; that is a translation of language policy in Europe into media experience for ordinary citizen-consumers, at both institutional and textual levels.

The RidgiDidge Study is a qualitative longitudinal project that uses grounded theory methodology to determine how new media technology figures in the recreational lives of a group of Australian High School students. The participants completed a 7-day media diary, a questionnaire and participated in an individual semi-structured interview at three research stages over a three term period. The research objective of the RidgiDidge Study is the generation of a middle range substantive grounded theory that describes how new media technology figures in the lives of Australian High school students. This type of theory applies to, and is drawn from, a clearly delineated research context and goes beyond the simple description of social phenomena to occupy the ground between basic empiricism and grand theory. The emergent theory in the RidgiDidge Study will contribute to a growing body of Australian research that calls for an intergenerational and non-judgemental understanding of young people's media technology consumption. Similarly, given that technical change has the capacity to impact on public conceptions of youth and childhood, a critical view of research on media technology consumption and young people also suggests the need to develop methodologies that account for the complexity of young people's relationship to new media technology. The results of the RidgiDidge Study indicate that new media technologies such as the games system, the internet and the mobile phone are catalysts and facilitators of social praxis, highlighting the participants' agency in ways not necessarily predicted by adults or commercially provided culture. This conceptual perspective readily accounts for changes in young people's use of technology over time. The results also indicate that new media technologies are used by the participants' to make and maintain social connections to friends and family for the purposes of maintaining a positive standard of living where social relationships are privileged over the consumption of technology for its own sake. In this way, young people mobilise agency to positively negotiate the duality of the structures in their lives that simultaneously constrain and enable their new media technology use. This grounded theory challenges the current negative mythology about young people that portrays them as passive media consumers, apathetic community members, deviant or too dependent on technology and susceptible to a range of social and health problems. At issue with this negative conception of childhood is that such a description leads to a prescription for what and how youth and childhood should be. The theory generated from the RidgiDidge Study shows that new media technology is a comparatively small, positive and integral part of the social world of the participants. Research of this type has implications for future research where the recognition of a positive conception of youth and childhood in the face of a rapidly changing technological milieu has the capacity to develop a greater non-judgemental and inter-generational understanding of young people.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Arts, Media and Culture
Arts, Education and Law
Full Text

Nearly two-thirds of Australians and up to half of all Chinese are overweight. Global obesity figures have tripled since 1975 (WHO, 2018b), which demonstrates that obesity is a major global health problem. It is critical to examine how print media represent obesity because they influence public understanding of the problem. It is also essential to determine ways to improve health journalism and health outcomes. While there is a significant body of literature that has examined representations of obesity in the Australian press through mixed approaches, there is a deficit of media research into how China’s press has represented this issue. This study investigated how obesity was represented in two national newspapers—China Daily and The Australian—between 2013 and 2018. Content analysis was performed to reveal the types and frequency of obesity-related news items regarding causes, determinants, impacts, solutions and sources. Additionally, discourse analysis was undertaken to qualitatively reveal the framing of obesity based on findings from the content analysis. China Daily was selected because it is China’s largest-selling national daily English-language newspaper, while The Australian is Australia’s largest daily national newspaper. More than 1000 news items on obesity published in the two newspapers between 2013 and 2018 were retrieved through Factiva. Content analysis uncovered that obesity was under-presented in both newspapers. Individual causes and solutions were the most prominent news items in both newspapers, whereas genetic and biological determinants were less likely to be presented. For childhood obesity, parental determinants appeared more often than social determinants. Findings from the discourse analysis found three prominent frames—legitimation, responsibility and stereotype—in which individual responsibility was highlighted, while social responsibility was backgrounded. Individual responsibility and blaming were the dominant discourses in both newspapers. Further, stereotypes, weight stigma and the thin ideal discourse were mentioned in the news items. Framing analysis revealed that news items on obesity tended to shift health costs onto individuals rather than highlight the responsibility of the food and drink industries. The presence of stereotype frames was greater in China Daily than The Australian.

European Master of Science in Viticulture and Oenology - Instituto Superior de Agronomia / Institut National d'Etudes Superieures Agronomiques de Montpellier
This paper presents an internship at Balnaves of Coonawarra winery and describes the specialties of the wine region trough the current technologies both in winemaking and viticulture. The biggest concern of the region is the global warming increasing average temperature and CO2 content in the air which can effect on grape maturity, and increase oenological parameters such as pH, sugar and alcohol level. Thus, temperature influences grape development, especially the breakdown of acids and berry color development. In this study, a Shiraz (Vitis vinifera L.) vintage 2018 harvested with high maturity level and potential alcohol was monitored during alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. Oenological parameter were collected from the date of harvest to investigate the possibility of quality optimization and reduction of microbiological spoilage. To overcome the problem of high sugar media and high pH must corrections were made. The organoleptic results showed minimal difference in the evaluated wines qualities concluding that with using correct winemaking technologies wine quality can be increased in case of overripe grape harvest. This is a promising view on winemaking in climate change; considering Balnaves of Coonawarra winemaking technologies could increase fermentation efficiency and closing the gap for potential spoilage in wine
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This research examined the frequency and distribution of print media coverage of climate change in Australia. The more common focus of content is considered only as a trigger for coverage. Four empirical studies examined: how Australian opinion elites perceive the media influences climate policy, the levels of print media coverage of climate change, the role the media may play in influencing public opinion on climate change, and the link between severe weather and climate change. The study is embedded within the particular and often volatile Australian political and economic context, with consideration of 1999 - 2009, and extension to 2012 where possible. The relevant literature was examined to determine proposals for the drivers of media coverage. As a multi-disciplinary study a number of bodies of literature were deemed relevant - communication, psychology of risk, climate science (severe weather), public opinion and it's interaction with politics, agenda setting and policy windows, and media influence on behaviour. The literature was found to be fragmented. The views of journalists and media decision-makers, academics, activists, policy-makers, and politicians were collected through interviews. A media database (FACTIVA) provided data on the frequency of media coverage. Severe weather event data was obtained from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and Attorney General's databases, matched against associated media reporting from FACTIVA. Public opinion data was collected from a range of published public opinion polls and studies. The empirical research found that the media creates uncertainty in the minds of the public through accepted journalistic mechanisms which also determine the levels of coverage. The major driver for coverage was identified as perceived reader interest judged by media decision-makers. In Australia coverage increased exponentially from 2005 with triggers shifting from international events to the domestic debate on climate change. Where severe weather events received coverage, in apparent contrast to some other countries, only a very small percentage mentioned climate change and even fewer made any linkage between expected trends and the event. The opinion elites commonly perceived the IPCC and other key reports would impact the frequency of print media coverage in Australia, but this was largely not the case. Public awareness of the scientific certainty and risks of climate change has been inhibited. While shifts in public opinion are suggested by available data, inconsistency in polls and polling questions limits knowledge of topicality. The research finds the relationship between media, science, public opinion and policy to be multi-faceted, fluid, and not amenable to singular interpretation via available propositions from the literature. Synthesis of the research findings and the relevant literature revealed scientific literacy of media personnel and the communication literacy of scientists is low. Better literacy would increase the probability of accurate and more frequent translation of climate science to the public. To better place this in context, further research is advocated into the levels of media coverage of climate change articles relative to other topics. Bringing scientists, politicians, and policy-makers together would enable the media to articulate one agreed message on the significance of climate change.