the media and law reform Flashcards
what is media?
- Media is how information is communicated to the public.
- Technological advances have led to new types of media.
- The way people access information has changed over time.
- Media has shifted from traditional forms (newspapers, TV, radio) to digital media.
- People now consume news in various ways beyond just newspapers or nightly news.
define media
the way information is
communicated to the
public, including print
media (e.g. newspapers
and magazines),
broadcast media (e.g.
film, television, radio)
and digital media,
which includes media
distributed through
the internet and
electronic devices
(e.g. websites, emails
and text messages,
video games) and
social media (e.g.
online platforms
and applications like
Facebook, YouTube and
Instagram)
the role of media in law reform
- informing and raising awareness
- assessing levels of community support
- influencing community opinion on a change in the law
the role of media in law reform - informing and raising awareness
the media can inform people about social, political and legal
issues and the need for law reform, and can also generate interest in, and awareness of, those issues
or need
the role of media in law reform - assessing levels of community support
the media can assist the parliament, government and
political parties to assess the level of community support for law reform
the role of media in law reform - influencing community opinion on a change in the law
the media can influence community
views and opinions about social, political and legal issues and the need for law reform.
Inform and raise awareness
- Media can inform the public about social, political, and legal issues, including the need for law reform.
- Media provides a platform for parliament, government, and political parties to explain and promote law reform.
- Media can reach large audiences; around 83% of Australians have active social media accounts.
- Australians spend an average of nearly 2 hours daily on social media platforms (e.g., TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn).
- Members of parliament, political parties, and governments can communicate information with minimal restrictions, quickly reaching and engaging large audiences.
- Approximately 97% of Australians read newspapers weekly (in digital or print form).
- Radio remains popular, with morning and afternoon shows used to discuss law reform. Some breakfast shows have over 120,000 listeners each day.
- Media organisations can actively use their platforms to inform, generate interest, or seek to influence legislative reforms.
- Media sometimes demonstrates unity to raise awareness about legislative reforms.
Assess levels of community support
- Media can help parliament, government, political parties, and voters gauge community support for law reform.
- Media polls (surveys) are a traditional method used to understand public opinions on social, legal, or political issues.
- Poll results are often shared in the media with commentary on their implications.
- These results can guide parliament, government, or political parties in assessing public support for certain issues.
- The Ipsos Issues Monitor is an example of an ongoing survey that highlights key concerns for Australians, such as crime, healthcare, transport, and cost of living.
- In December 2022, an Ipsos survey indicated that cost of living was a major concern, potentially prompting government action to address it through legislation.
Other ways the media can gauge (or measure) public opinion include
using powerful data analytics (tools to track online behaviour, such as the number of times a post,
article or page is read or clicked on) to understand what may be concerning or of interest to the
community
* monitoring ‘letters to the editor’, which are published in newspapers, or comments posted on
digital newspapers in relation to a particular issue
* measuring the number of likes, shares, retweets and quotes of a particular Tweet on Twitter or
posts on social media platforms such as Facebook.
Influence community opinion
- Media organisations, due to their high profile, can influence community opinions.
- Radio broadcasters with large audiences can shape public views, especially when listeners do not access information from other sources.
- Media can investigate local, national, and global events to inform the public and generate interest.
- Media investigations may aim to influence public opinion or push governments to take action.
- Documentaries and TV programs can highlight social, political, and legal injustices, raising awareness and support for law reform.
- Media has the power to scrutinise and challenge government policies.
Issues or limitations in the role of the media
- media concentration
- the risk of spread of misinformation
- the use of algorithms online
Media concentration
- Media concentration refers to media ownership being controlled by a small number of individuals or groups.
- Australia is known for having one of the most concentrated media markets globally.
- Many media brands and networks in Australia are owned by the same few individuals or organisations.
- Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has spoken out against media ownership concentration and initiated a petition on this issue.
- Media organisations can shape public views on legal, social, and political issues by choosing the content they publish or broadcast.
- News Corp and Nine Entertainment Co dominate Australian print media, owning about 82% of the metropolitan and national print readership.
- The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) broadcasts widely across Australia through TV and radio.
- These major media organisations have faced criticism for potential political bias:
- News Corp Australia is often perceived as having a ‘right/conservative’ bias, supporting the Liberal-National Coalition.
- The ABC has been criticised for having a ‘left bias’.
The risk of spread of misinformation
- Digital platforms are major sources of news and information, with documentaries, films, and TV programs often shared online.
- Social and online media reproduce content, spreading it across Australia and globally.
- A key concern is the spread of misinformation on digital platforms due to less regulation compared to traditional media.
- Anyone, including non-journalists, can share ‘news’ online without adhering to codes of ethics.
- Misinformation can undermine trust in professional information sources (e.g., healthcare or science experts).
- It can spark debates on law reform that are based on false or misrepresented information.
- Misinformation can lead to public distrust in governments and organisations.
- Examples include:
- COVID-19 misinformation that contradicted public health expert advice.
- Climate change misinformation that misrepresented scientific consensus.
The use of algorithms
- Platforms like Facebook and Google have changed how people consume news, influenced by their algorithms.
- An algorithm is a set of computer instructions that learns user behavior to show content that keeps users engaged.
- This can shape what news and information people see about specific issues.
- While algorithms help users find relevant and engaging content, they may prevent readers from seeing news they ‘should’ read or considering different viewpoints.
- This selective content exposure can mean people remain unaware of certain issues or injustices.
- It can affect how well-informed people are about law reform needs and limit their content variety on specific topics.
- The overall impact of algorithms on news delivery is still not fully understood.
social media summary
- Social media includes digital tools, apps, and websites for real-time information sharing among large groups.
- It can raise awareness and support for social, political, and legal issues, influencing community views and gauging public support for law reform.
- Social media and mobile devices enable real-time sharing of images and videos to large audiences, showcasing issues like crime, animal cruelty, and asylum seeker conditions to advocate for law reform.
- Social media connects people globally, raising domestic awareness of global issues needing law reform (e.g., climate change, refugee crises).
- It allows direct interaction with political parties and members of parliament, offering insights into their views and fostering political accountability.
- Law-makers can monitor social and traditional media to assess public opinion and reactions to events and proposed law reforms.
- Social media information can be unreliable, leading to confusion about law reform needs:
- Posters do not follow ethical codes adhered to by reputable media, so content may be inaccurate or biased.
- Graphic and simplified content may trigger emotional responses and uninformed opinions.
- Platform owners have struggled to control the spread of misinformation due to its rapid sharing.
- These factors can impact public support for law reform.
- Overexposure to graphic content can lead to feeling overwhelmed or desensitised to injustices.
- Algorithms influence the type of content people see, potentially swaying opinions or limiting exposure to diverse perspectives on law reform.
