Critically analyis the role and power of the Australian media in influencing and impacting on health care in multicultural Australian society.
Media is a contemporary, diversified and vocal industry using traditional along with digital formats to create its influence on society. The media influence varies from country to country and society to society (Cunningham, 2011). Australia is a multicultural society, therefore, media here has to influence or manipulate itself as per the perceptions of all the multicultural population (Poster, 2018). In the Press Freedom Index 2011-12, Australian media was ranked 30th out of 179th countries (Cunningham, 2010). This study is an analysis of Australian media and its impact on the cultural safety of this multicultural society in terms of healthcare. For this analysis, two media articles are critically analysed as per their impact on Australian society.
The viewpoint of Olien, Tichenor & Donohue (2018) stated Media as a “Societal Control” is having the power to influence people with provided perceptions in media. Basically, media in the country like Australia play two major roles, firstly ‘informing function’ that is the role of spreading the information and secondly ‘checking function’ that is the role to analyse the impact of that information on society (Chaplin, Cox & Campbell, 2018). Media provides a platform for the power of free speech and censorship to the public in Australia. The high-end innovative broadcasting services of media play role in entertaining, informing, educating and awareness for the public. As well as media provides a national identify sense to different cultures in Australia promoting cultural diversity in the country (Cunningham, 2010). In terms of cultural diversity, Australian media ensures stability and equality for every culture in this multicultural society (Poster, 2018). Media is a means of communicating information since ancient times that modify as per its tools (newsletters, newspapers, television, radio, social media etc.). Further, media works as an intermediate between people and government helping to detect, discuss and resolve issues in society (Chaplin, Cox & Campbell, 2018).
The power of media is diversified from being useful as well as abusive depending on the influence it (news) wants to create on the public. Media holds the power to educate or inform public regarding a specific aspect for the good of society, in contrast, it also holds power to manipulate public regarding similar aspect for various political or profit reasons (Cunningham, 2010). According to Olien, Tichenor & Donohue (2018) studies media holds power to develop and destroy social learning’s, attitudes, behaviours and viewpoints. According to Anikeeva, Steenkamp & Arbon (2015) study, Laurie Oakes, one of the most respected political journalist of Australian media describe media power by stating that “It is the threat of leaks that keeps politicians honest…they are much more reluctant to lie or act improperly if they know they could be found out”. Olien, Tichenor & Donohue (2018) indicated that Australia has predominantly English-speaking population that below to different cultures, therefore, media needs a strong power here to impact or influence the viewpoint of this public having a difference in perceptions. But, Anikeeva, Steenkamp & Arbon (2015) stated that Australian media holds a sufficient power to influence this diversified culture by its freedom of speech approach. Australian media hold limitation in regulations that can overrule its freedom of speech that makes it one of the most influencing media at the international platform.
Media is used as a tool in the healthcare field to transmit information, knowledge, news and awareness to public improving their understanding of science and its benefit to them. As healthcare information is one level above the common sense of the general public, therefore, an honest transmission source is critically important to ensure culturally safe healthcare. However, developing culturally safe health care in Australia is always at a risk because of its culturally diverse society having a huge difference in their perceptions (Power in Health Care Lupton, 2012). The Australian media promises an enticing opportunity to implement research services for public welfare, but, looking to another side of coin Scharrer & Ramasubramanian (2015) indicated that there are fake news and viewpoint that are disturbing cultural stability in Australian healthcare system especially related to minority groups like Aboriginal Australians. The study demonstrates the positive as well as the negative influence of Australian media in relation to culturally safe healthcare in the country. Two different media articles, one creating positive impact and another creating negative impact on the public are critically analysed in terms of culturally safe healthcare in Australia.
The concept of cultural safety in healthcare ensures the respect, appreciation and empowerment of all the culturally diversified people involved in healthcare that are patients as well as practitioners. There are different determinants that work to structure cultural safety in healthcare. One such determinant is media that may create a positive or negative impact on cultural safety in healthcare. Media may work to safeguard the cultural diversity of Australia in healthcare; in contrast, it may also destroy this cultural diversity (Cunningham, 2010). This concept can be understood by taking examples of media articles.
One media article that works to influence cultural safety in healthcare is Henry Belot, 7 March 2018 release “New migrants living in ‘cultural bubbles’ need to improve their English skills, Government warns”. This article is a media release involving statement given by Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge regarding his concern to protect multicultural society of Australia. According to Lester & Hutchins (2012) viewpoint, any multicultural society requires a root to hold its unity in diversity. Countries like Australia have been a suitable example to understand this phenomenon. This media article details about changes in rules and norms for migrants moving to Australia because migrants are not able to develop English skills required for citizenship. The article basically demonstrates the changes made in the test to obtain citizenship in Australia. The article is well researched providing productive and health information that increases public understanding towards cultural togetherness in Australia. The data provided is very straight forward without any biased added to it by Author Henry. However, Rowe (2018) indicated that, as per critics, these changes are harsh for migrants, but this article frames this as a contribution to multicultural society creating a positive influence on Australian public. But, Fryberg et al. (2018) described that the decision is indirectly favouring cultural stability and protection to people on a long-term run. The citizens having good control over countries language can easily adjust themselves to the multicultural environment in all sectors.
As per this article, migrants of Australia are not involved in their multicultural society and living in their own comforting cultural bubbles. Therefore, tougher English language test to get citizenship will improve the involvement of migrants in Australian cultural diversity. According to other media sources, this change by Federal Government is to restrict or minimise migrants to get citizenship in Australia rather the perspective of Government is structured in the positive manner in this media article by Henry (Belot, 2018). But, these media critics are overruled by public response towards this government rule because Australian immigrants as well as citizens positively welcome this change.
The language used in article positively support Mr Tudge decision as a beneficial decision for the Australian immigrants by sentences like “They build this country”, “ The test did not need to be “university level”, but needed to show “a modest understanding” of the English language” etc. The article speech is hallowed with words that clearly picture a positive image of this Federal Government decision taken in favour of the Australian population to provide a culturally safe environment. However, there are viewpoints mentioned in article that are against this decision of government but writer clearly overrules these viewpoints describing Government decision as a good one. This article by Henry is clearly creating a positive impact on cultural safety for Australian people by creating no harm to any specific culture about changes in immigration rules, simultaneously describing this change (English-language test) as beneficial for Australian multicultural society (Belot, 2018).
Apart from positively influencing cultural safety, media article also hold power to negatively influence cultural safety in healthcare. One example of such article that negatively influences cultural safety in Australian healthcare is “Alcohol abuse behind high rates of early death among Indigenous, study finds” by Melissa Davey, 20 February 2015. This article involves details on increasing Indigenous Australian’s death rates (35-54 age group) due to high alcohol intake performed by this specific aboriginal cultural group of Australia. The article clearly targets Aboriginal people in this article creating a danger for Indigenous population in society and harming cultural safety in Australian healthcare sector (Davey, 2015).
Further, the article also involves a political target towards existence Government that can be considered as a very non-essential part of this article; therefore, clearly, article is creating a negative influence on people regarding the people bellowing to Indigenous cultural in Australia. According to Briskman (2016) studies on media articles about Indigenous population indicates that last 10years have been “wasted decade” in Australian media for Indigenous people. More than 70% media articles transmit negative information about Aboriginal health to the Australian public. The most common media topics harming the cultural safety of Indigenous population are violence, alcohol abuse, child abuse, suicide, custody death and crime. Further, Paradies (2016) indicated that media plays a very critical role in framing the perception of one cultural population towards other cultural population.
The article provided by Melissa Davey along with other negative reports on Indigenous population can provoke racist attitudes, crime, shamefulness and barriers in the development of any specific culture (Bad news: negative Indigenous health coverage reinforces stigma, 2018). The Aboriginal populations have always been victim of negative media attention because they are the most suffered culture of Australian society being victim to all kinds of negativity. Further, the article also misses any evidence-based research or information to support their coverage indicating lack of reliability. Further, most of the information is article is false, lacking support by any research or study. However, article works as an expression to take action in favour of indigenous population but this can create more damage to indigenous cultural safety rather than providing support or care. The issue in the article is highlighted with purpose of advocacy towards indigenous population but they are only showing the half part of the story without any positive aspect of future hope. Even there is lack of ethical media policies and regulations to control this drastic influence media can create on people’s perception in Australia (Paradies, 2016).
Alcohol abuse has been a major health concern for Indigenous population in Australia but the media article adopts a provoking approach to deal with this issue rather than implementing an approach for the requirement of action. The article language and statistics only involves a comparison between Indigenous and Non-indigenous population related to alcohol abuse developing a negative image of indigenous people regarding alcohol abuse. The sentences like “Only 33% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids complete school compared to the national average of 77%,” this can initiate negative attitude towards Aboriginal children in society. This data about Aboriginal children comparing to other children in school is completely irrelevant for this article involved only to create a negative image about Aboriginal culture (Bad news: negative Indigenous health coverage reinforces stigma, 2018).
Conclusion
Media is detected as a power source to create positive or negative impact on the public as per its requirement or desire. The role and power of media clearly describe its controlling function related to spread of any information in public. Even it is clearly analysed in the study that media can create a positive or negative influence on public related to cultural safety in healthcare. For supporting this fact, there are two articles, one creating a positive influence and another creating negative influence on the public are critically analysed in this work. In the multicultural society like Australia media should be restricted with certain rules and regulation to manage this freedom of speech and uncontrolled power to maintain equilibrium in society
References
Books
Chaplin, B., Cox, L., & Campbell, C. (2018). Researching Marginalized Populations: Methodological Challenges In Transgender Research. Sage research methods cases, Sage Publications.
Cunningham, S. (2010). The media and communications in Australia. ReadHowYouWant. com.
Cunningham, S. (2011). Framing culture: Criticism and policy in Australia. Allen and Unwin.
Poster, M. (2018). The second media age. John Wiley & Sons.
Power in Health Care Lupton, D. (2012). Power relations and the medical encounter. In D. Lupton (Ed.), Medicine as culture: Illness, disease and the body (3rd ed., pp. 203-237). London: SAGE Publications. (Chapter 5)
Journals
Anikeeva, O., Steenkamp, M., & Arbon, P. (2015). The future of social media use during emergencies in Australia: Insights from the 2014 Australian and New Zealand Disaster and Emergency Management conference social media workshop. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, The, 30(1), 22.
Briskman, L. (2016). Decolonizing social work in Australia: Prospect or illusion. In Indigenous Social Work around the World (pp. 111-122). Routledge.
Fryberg, S. A., Stephens, N. M., Covarrubias, R., Markus, H. R., Carter, E. D., Laiduc, G. A., & Salido, A. J. (2018). How the media frames the immigration debate: The critical role of location and politics. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 12(1), 96-112.
Lester, L., & Hutchins, B. (2012). The power of the unseen: Environmental conflict, the media and invisibility. Media, Culture & Society, 34(7), 847-863.
Olien, C. N., Tichenor, P. J., & Donohue, G. A. (2018). A guard dog perspective on the role of media. In The Media, Journalism and Democracy (pp. 21-38). Routledge.
Paradies, Y. (2016). Colonisation, racism and indigenous health. Journal of population research, 33(1), 83-96.
Rowe, D. (2018). Cultural citizenship, media and sport in contemporary Australia. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 53(1), 11-29.
Scharrer, E., & Ramasubramanian, S. (2015). Intervening in the media’s influence on stereotypes of race and ethnicity: The role of media literacy education. Journal of Social Issues, 71(1), 171-185.
Bad news: negative Indigenous health coverage reinforces stigma. (2018). Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/bad-news-negative-indigenous-health-coverage-reinforces-stigma-24851
Belot, H. (2018). Migrants living in ‘cultural bubbles’ need to improve their English skills, Government warns. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-07/english-language-tests-need-to-be-tougher-government-warns/9522412
Davey, M. (2015). Alcohol abuse behind high rates of early death among Indigenous study finds. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/feb/20/alcohol-abuse-behind-high-rates-of-early-death-among-indigenous-study-finds
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