In recent times there has been debate around the role of Australian media in regards to multiculturalism. Australia has been accused of having a ‘white bread’ media. This refers to the idea that our media is a very processed, less nutritious form of coverage. We fail to give even representation to different cultures and as such don’t give an accurate depiction of our society.
As Tanja Dreher (p1) argues “media are central to both relatively unproblematic experiences of ‘everyday multiculturalism’, and to everyday experiences of racism in Australia.” This is a fascinating paradox.
Who could forget the role media was seen to play in the 2005 Cronulla riots?
In the week leading up to this event the media reported about an incident on the beach with some off-duty lifeguards, broadcast an SMS about ‘wog bashing day’ and on Alan Jones’ talk-back radio show 2GB he actually gave the location of where people were planning to meet (Poynting, p87). In reports, the media also tapped into a long history of moral panics by focussing on the Bankstown gang rapes which had been reported as being race crimes (Poynting, p87). The media can been seen to have almost instigated these events because they blew the issues out of proportion thus creating a moral panic.
However, it’s not all bad in our media landscape.
There have been some exciting developments. Certain cultures have taken control of the situation and are beginning to broadcast themselves. A fantastic example of this is the panel show Salam Cafe on SBS TV. Much like The Chaser, this show discusses current news and produces skits with a real Aussie sense of humour. The difference? The show is created by young Australian Muslims. Salam Cafe helps to ease racist tensions by normalising Islam and helping portray Muslims as being regular human beings (Dreher, p4). As Molitorisz (2008) indicates, the show “is funny but also poignant, giving an insight into the sort of prejudices and misconceptions faced by Muslim Aussies.”
While there is still a long way to come, the emergence of programs like Salam Cafe suggest a lot of hope for the future and I would like to think that more programs like it will be produced. We need to celebrate the incredible diversity Australia has to offer.
Dreher, T (forthcoming 2014) ‘White Bread Media’ in The Media and Communications in Australia, eds S Cunningham and S Turnbull, Allen and Unwin.
Molitorisz, S (2008) ‘Salam Cafe aims to bust misconceptions about Muslims’ The Age in AussieMuslims.net, accessed 9 May 2013 <http://www.aussiemuslims.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=360&Itemid=45 >
Poynting, S ‘What caused the Cronulla riot?’ Race & Class, Vol. 48, No. 1, pp85-92.
BCM 310 