‘Unconscious biases seeping into news coverage’: New report finds Australian media industry is under-reporting on older population
A new report has found that the Australian media industry is failing to accurately represent older people and the issues they face, with a mass culture of negativity towards ageing.
The report – ‘Shaping Perceptions: How Australian Media Reports on Ageing’ which was commissioned by the Australian Human Rights Commission – analysed reports from major news networks across the country, with interviews conducted with dozens of prominent journalists, academics, and communications professionals.
It found severe under-reporting or misrepresentation of the matters affecting ageing Aussies across the mainstream media, with negative stereotypes, exclusion of older people’s personal experiences, minimised impacts of various issues, and a portrayal of older people being economic or social burdens.
“The media can do better in representing the diversity of older people, their stories and their issues. The challenges older people face often do not only affect them, but the whole of society and future generations,” said Age Discrimination Commissioner, Robert Fitzgerald AM.
“This research was designed to get the insiders’ story; from the people who create the news and media content, to those who help shape the media landscape every day. While there have been some positive or accurate portrayals on ageing in the media, they were found to be in the minority. And despite the many issues older people face, which were acknowledged as significant by many we interviewed, they are typically under-reported.
“A key reason cited for these poor representations is the current state of Australian media,” he continued. “With many newsrooms shrinking and understaffed, specialist reporters being phased out, and overworked journalists facing tighter deadlines with fewer resources, the study found it is increasingly difficult for journalists to adequately research or report on age and ageing. This is resulting in the misreporting of older people, or unconscious biases seeping into news coverage.”
According to the report, the media industry’s commercial drive is targeted to younger audiences, and is therefore minimising older Australians or overstating their issues in line with “click-bait culture”.
Mainstream media’s reporting on ageing also perpetuates gender stereotypes, with stories on older women often focused on beauty, anti-aging, and image, adding to the stigma around the ageing process.
Following the report findings, Fitzgerald has urged Australian newsrooms to review their editorial practices, work closely with experts in the age sector, and strengthen staff training to specifically cover age and ageism.
It has highlighted three key opportunities to improve the accuracy, quantity, and quality of stories about older Aussies, including the development of resources and programs to educate media professionals, improved media access to relevant spokespeople and experts to add context to stories, and better staff training to increase industry awareness about ageism and strengthen editorial standards in reporting on age-related matters.
Fitzgerald continued: “It is vital that older people are humanised and represented in mainstream culture, with their voices amplified, and the issues they face told in an accurate and inclusive way.
“A strong, collaborative partnership between the media industry and the age sector is essential to achieve this.
“I look forward to working with them both to create a media landscape which respects our older population and accurately reports on the issues they face.”
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