The media and Indigenous policy: how news media reporting and mediatized practice impact on Indigenous policy

Abstract

The Media and Indigenous Policy Report is an outcome of 'The Australian News Media and Indigenous Policymaking 1988-2008' project, funded by an ARC Discovery Project grant. It investigated how journalism impacts on the development of Indigenous social policy. Analysis of media and policy texts, and interviews with experts from government, media and Indigenous advocacy organisations provided rich insights into the changing nature of news media reporting and the impact of increasingly ‘mediatized’ policymaking practice. The project explored the relationships between journalism and Indigenous policymaking in Australia from 1988 to 2008. The researchers investigated the media representation of Indigenous health, education and communication, and the development of Indigenous policies over a 20-year period. Through analyses of policy documents, media releases, speeches and media texts, the researchers mapped the changing nature of Indigenous policy and its representation in public media. They interviewed journalists, public spokespeople and policymakers to examine processes involved in the shifting nature and reporting of Indigenous policy in Australia.