In the Interests of Rural Society: The Riverina press and the provision of health and education

Abstract

The provision of health and education facilities in rural areas has been an important priority for Riverina newspapers in their ongoing crusades for country communities to enjoy similar facilities to those in metropolitan areas. In the first half of the twentieth century such campaigns were fuelled by a ‘countrymindedness’ ideology which set the virtues of country life against perceptions of the power of the city. If one analyses Riverina press responses to health and education social policies between 1910 and 1960, it is clear that the press assumed a unified society within its perceptions of a Riverina regional community of interest. This article highlights not only the city-country dichotomy but also the tensions between the newspapers' views of local and regional benefits. A study of press responses shows the triumph of localism in their coverage in favour of individual towns even in regionally oriented campaigns for social progress.