Water courses and discourses: A media content analysis of environmental water reporting in Australia

Abstract

This study presents the findings of a media content analysis (n=303) of articles discussing environmental water (water allocated to the environment in freshwater systems) in the Murray-Darling Basin in Australia across 20 years (2001 – 2021). The aim of the study was to determine the disposition of the articles, the actors (voices) invoked within them, as well as the topics they discuss in relation to environmental water, with a particular emphasis on understanding the representation and power dynamics prevalent in media discourse. The analysis highlighted that negative portrayals of environmental water occurred more often than those that were positive in nature. This led to a lack of balance in representation in heralding certain views, such as pro environmental, over others, such an economic arguments. Notably, Indigenous voices were given almost no representation across the analysed articles, while settler colonial voices such as Irrigators and Irrigator Lobby Groups were provided with a disproportionately larger share of discussion, driving the anti-environmental water disposition. This is notable as it serves to sway debate towards certain views and conceptualisations such as an economic valuing of environmental water. As such, environmental water is often discussed in the context of the economy and livelihoods of communities. There is a notable absence of discussions of climate change and cultural water in the debate, with zero mentions of either across all surveyed articles. This is surprising considering climate change is expected to reduce water availability across the basin by 20% in years to come. Water discussed as a commodity was regularly featured in discussion, which lends itself to understanding the wider policy debate nestled in neoliberal framings, rather than other valuations of water, such as environmentalist or Indigenous understandings. This has wider implications for other countries that are considering policy options for allocating environmental water and how a market-driven approach to water allocation serves to sway public discourse.