Abstract
The general lack of knowledge in mainstream Anglo-Australian society and popular Western media pertaining to the different shark species has led to the depletion of placid species such as the Grey Nurse Shark Carcharias taurus. This paper examines the depiction of sharks in Western popular media and also provides an in depth analysis of 155 Australian newspaper articles pertaining specifically to the Grey Nurse shark. The study of newspaper reportage consisted of a content analysis of 15 Australian based newspapers and serves to deconstruct the explicit messages that they attempt to convey to their readers. The data generated by this study exemplify the perceptions of C. taurus as represented by major Australian newspapers between the years 1969 and 2009. The study revealed that the majority of the news articles examined fell within a neutral range and that the level of interest in the plight of C. taurus has increased as C. taurus' circumstances have become more critical.
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