Whitewash on the box: how a lack of diversity on Australian television damages us all
Today marks the launch of a report called ‘Who gets to tell Australian stories?’ which reveals just how white our media industry is. In this crossposting from The Conversation, Usha M. Rodrigues digs into the study, and what should come next.
Australia prides itself on being a successful multicultural society. Yet Australian television does not reflect the make-up of the wider community. This in turn means many stories of multicultural Australians remain untold.
An analysis by Deakin University, to be launched today, shows Australian television news and current affairs programs across all channels are overwhelmingly curated, framed and presented by journalists and commentators from an Anglo-Celtic background.
The report, titled “Who gets to tell Australian stories?”, examined two weeks of programs. It found more than 75% of their presenters, commentators and reporters are of Anglo-Celtic background. Only 13% have a European heritage, 9.3% non-European and 2.1% Indigenous background.
Diversity isn’t just about colour. If they were disappointed with those stats (POC i newsrooms), the figures for disability are far worse.
Bravo to the study, the author/s, and for tackling this issue.
Advertising has improved remarkably over the last decade (it still has a ways to do) in terms of whitewashing.
But TV remains in the 1950s for the most part, apart from token ‘diversity’ characters.
I’m struggling to find any published research with empirical numbers that demonstrates ‘The lack of diversity on Australian television alienates minority communities’?
Ha! You mean empirical evidence emanating from the scientific method that emanated from the enlightenment? you may have seen that the same people who publish articles such as the above also subscribe to the view that the enlightenment is just another example of systematic racism based on the white patriarchy. Why back anything up with data when you can simply ‘feel’ a certain way, and demand that others falsify your claims as opposed to the individual making those claims having any argument to back themselves
Yep lack of diversity is a problem
But the real and grindingly obvious problem is Australian TV is pathetic and most people hate it. Something like 60% of people who watch TV are over the age of 65…do you honestly think these people give a hoot about diversity? The next generation aren’t even watching these clapped out boring tone-deaf platforms