Beruflich Dokumente
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by Elizabeth Sheppard STB, July 30, 2012 The first decade of the new millennium, the 21 st century, has now passed !n the li"ht of hindsi"ht, #ustralia now seems to ha$e a small window of opportunity to educate the #ustralian population in intelli"ent, coordinated responses to irresponsible mass media representation and manipulation #t the ris% of bein" accused of doomsayin", this article summarises an alarmin", but easily re$ersible trend, that promotes and normalises media ine&uity and confusion in #ustralia today !n any 21st century society that claims to be democratic, it seems ob$ious that the $oices of all sections of the population should be clearly heard, and accessible throu"h the media The e'istence of publicly accessible blo"s and document publication websites "i$es this impression (owe$er, in third millennium #ustralia, lar"e sections of #ustralian opinion are &uite badly muffled, and at times suppressed, in fa$our of those who can buy unlimited internet access and a""ressi$e mass media promotion (opefully, wider and cheaper access to the internet throu"h the forthcomin" )ational Broadband )etwor%, to"ether with access pro"rams for the disad$anta"ed, may remedy a little of this ine&uity *$erseas readers may be unaware that #ustralia has ne$er introduced ade&uate courses in +i$ics ,as in #merica- The #ustralian education system has failed to teach #ustralians how to participate in politics, and how to oppose media false misrepresentation and manipulation The result is widespread apathy and cynicism about politics, a hi"h dropout rate from mainstream society, and a shoc%in"ly hi"h depression and suicide rate !n #ustralia, tele$ised debates on current issues, and media articles, seldom allow $oices that reflect ma.ority or "rassroots $iews and $alues to be fully heard E$en supposedly unbiased /open discussion0 tele$ision pro"rams such as 12# and !nsi"ht only allow pre$iously $etted &uestions and participants (arrowin" $ictim accounts are met with fulsome sympathy and pity, but the media seldom follows up concrete proposals for reform of in.ustice and alle$iation of sufferin" !nstead, we are treated to dis"ustin"ly re"ular accounts of petty political infi"htin" Those who optimistically $iew political pro"rams ,such as the #B+3s +apital (ill- in the hope of action on pressin" political and social issues, are reduced to despair by political infi"htin", an obsession with red tape procedure, and a paucity of political information that is rele$ant to the daily li$es of #ustralians *ur annual #ustralian Bud"et speech allots more media time to economic data and to the success of the #ustralian economy in relation to other nations, than to "i$in" information on policies and pro"rams that affect ordinary #ustralians 4re&uently, undue media wei"ht is "i$en to sport, speculation and tri$ia, with radical and minority opinions ma%in" the occasional alarmist splash in the ocean of war news and stoc%s and shares speculation Simultaneously, conser$ati$e opinions, reli"ious affiliations and deeper political and social issues are consistently doubted, ridiculed, s%immed o$er, or dismissed as inconse&uential 5ecent "rowth in pilot pro"rams encoura"in" local media co$era"e is a positi$e step, but the news and $iews of the ma.ority of "rassroots #ustralians are still not bein" heard abo$e the loud dollar6dri$en a"enda of national and international media outlets !n the past, the e$en tenor of multicultural #ustralia3s economic, political and social life has been destabilised by irresponsible mass media /terror0 campai"ns The
response of #ustralians to these manipulati$e campai"ns has not always been intelli"ent and critical The decepti$e Tampa /children o$erboard0 article succeeded in arousin" fear, dis"ust and 'enophobia in a lar"e section of the "ullible #ustralian population, who promptly sanctioned the establishment of inhuman detention centres 4rom unreasonable 'enophobia of this %ind, it is a short step to destructi$e lon"6term war with our near nei"hbours )o #ustralian law or treaty re&uires us to in$ol$e our state in un.ust wars on behalf of other powers, yet due to #ustralian political leaders3 uncritical compliance with the demands of allied e'ternal powers, and despite lar"e anti6war protests in each case, #ustralians ha$e been drawn into in the 7ietnam 8ar, the !ra& in$asion, and the #f"hanistan war This has placed a horrifyin" and unnecessary burden on #ustralian society, of returned soldiers with serious war in.uries # &uic% count of media pro"rams that promote war, $ersus truthful accounts of #ustralian anti6war protests, re$eals a "ross media imbalance The current state of life in #ustralian is enou"h to ma%e anyone an'ious, and the unre"ulated #ustralian media does not hesitate to e'acerbate this an'iety +onstant media propa"anda declarin" that all #ustralians are wealthy, fully employed, and li$e in the luc%y country, is $iewed with cynicism and contempt by the $ast ma.ority of #ustralians on low or a$era"e incomes 4or #ustralian parents with youn" children, .ust %eepin" a roof o$er their heads and puttin" bread on the table is becomin" increasin"ly difficult, e$en if both parents are wor%in" Surely it is becomin" ob$ious that any third millennium economy that is sustained by acti$e military alliances and ma%in" unproducti$e war on its nei"hbours, while i"norin" its domestic needs, is playin" 5ussian roulette with the li$es of its people 9ue to the #ustralian "o$ernment3s cooperation in recent wars, #ustralians are now findin" that they are in$oluntarily sub.ect to plural "o$ernance :any #ustralians are aware that powerful e'ternal forces are a""ressi$ely assumin" control o$er #ustralian daily life !t has become e$ident that #ustralia3s forei"n affairs authorities are reluctant to protect #ustralian citizen tra$ellers from o$erseas arrest, $ictimization and e'ploitation E$en our $ocabulary is bein" surreptiously chan"ed, $ia the media and "lobal fast food outlets, with unnatural rapidity States, corporations, reli"ious or"anisations, and "lobal internet companies all assume the ri"ht to in$ade and operate unfettered in the unre"ulated #ustralian mar%etplace, to the utter detriment of #ustralia3s people, cultures, and interests !t seems that our "o$ernment authorities welcome in$estors, at any price, and the sensible routine protectionism practised by other countries is condemned here in the name of totally unre"ulated laissez faire "lobalisation #ustralian manufacturers and farmers are forced out of business when the mar%et is flooded with cheap imports :any #ustralian wor%ers, made redundant by cheap imported labour, ha$e been told they should thin% "lobally ;nder draconian performance measure re"imes, older wor%ers who refuse /$oluntary redundancy0 payouts ha$e been declared unemployable, and reduced to li$in" on mea"re "o$ernment welfare handouts for the rest of their li$es <o$ernment funds ha$e been massi$ely withdrawn from a broad ran"e of #ustralian public ser$ices, includin" health, education, food production and transport, until only a poor shadow of our pre$iously flourishin" public ser$ice e'ists #ustralian soldiers who return from o$erseas military ser$ice fre&uently find themsel$es rele"ated to disability pensions and a lifetime of po$erty #ustralians can only chan"e this situation if they wor% to"ether to understand and remedy it (ow we as #ustralian citizens communicate with our national "o$ernment
to shape a co6ordinated, intelli"ent #ustralian response to e'ternal .urisdictions and "roups who see% to assume power o$er #ustralian li$es and politics, will, to a lar"e e'tent, determine #ustralia3s future By communicatin" clearly with our local politicians and the media, so that our $iews reach the ears of both the #ustralian public and to the #ustralian "o$ernment, we can reshape policies and e$ents =ublic lobby "roups such as <et;p ha$e pro$en the power of public media to influence e$ents and opinions !nternational trade "lobalisation has $ery little credibility amon" #ustralian citizens <lobalisation of trade has conferred no benefits on #ustralia, and has resulted in the deconstruction of our manufacturin" industries and e&uitable labour systems 4rom our $iewpoint, economic "lobalisation means a""ressi$e, unfriendly ta%eo$ers, and uncontrolled in$asions of our pre$iously stable local mar%etplace #llowin" rampant competition to brea% loose across international borders has resulted in the destruction of our local produce and trade networ%s, and outbrea%s of food contamination and infectious diseases >ocal supplies of #ustralian6produced food and manufacturin" "oods ha$e been slowly but surely reduced in fa$our of o$erseas e'ports, with the result that fewer #ustralian citizens ha$e .obs, many ha$e less income, and all are now payin" a "reat deal more for unmonitored, often unsafe, imported foods and "oods !n such an unstable local economy, the #ustralian population is understandably .ittery, an'ious, and $ulnerable to mass media manipulation !n order to build an ethically responsible society, it ma%es more sense to pro$ide the #ustralian population with a stable economy in which properly re"istered and identified #ustralian citizens own and mana"e their own lands, resources, means of production and products, without e'cessi$e interference from e'ternal powers This policy is neither isolationist nor anti6"lobal, but realistic and producti$e, since it would render #ustralia a more effecti$e player in the "lobal mar%etplace The alternati$e is that #ustralia remains a chaotic field of unre"ulated competition for "lobal players see%in" "et6rich6&uic% resources and unre"ulated, cheap labour The present "eneration of #ustralians are accustomed to di"ital technolo"y, and they are supposedly bein" trained to "uard a"ainst its potential misuse (owe$er, in the last years of the 20th century, the sudden rise of di"ital technolo"y in 8estern6 dominated societies has rendered thousands hi"hly $ulnerable to mass manipulation by unscrupulous politicians intent on accruin" personal and national power and profit 9istortin" the truth, or e$en in$entin" false /truths0 in order to ac&uire world economic dominance ,sometimes, deplorably, in <od3s name- came naturally to many opportunistic political leaders whose ultimate creed was really utilitarianism Belie$in" mass media announcements by trusted leaders, many harassed citizens of 8estern societies failed to apply reason, and by default appro$ed reprehensible punishments of innocent people, that they would normally find abhorrent This is the same deadly trap that "ullible <ermans were led into by #dolf (itler in 8orld 8ar !! This same strate"y, bolstered by mass media propa"anda, ;) inaction and war profiteers, is now reliably producin" le"alised "enocide of dissenters in dictatorial re"imes The cynics amon" us will probably call me a hopeless optimist, but ! still belie$e in the possibility of world peace and intercultural cooperation This cannot be achie$ed without understandin" our history 8e should as% why 8estern societies who had
declared their opposition to all forms of war after 8orld 8ar !!, were suddenly and irresistibly drawn into protracted, $iolent conflicts they neither initiated, nor appro$ed, in the last years of the 20th century Because of these massi$e conflicts, all parties in$ol$ed are now left with a costly and horrific post6war le"acy of death, "enerational hatred, and ecolo"ical, financial and structural destruction :assi$ely delayed and protracted to%en war criminal prosecutions in the !nternational +riminal +ourt ha$e only ser$ed to demonstrate the unacceptable reluctance of the international le"al community to hold all of those responsible accountable for their actions !nternational .ud"es and wealthy politicians seldom e'perience the ra"e of $ictims at the "rass roots, but #ustralian citizens see it daily, because #ustralia has become a dumpin"6"round for $ast urban populations of $ictimized refu"ees and asylum see%ers :any citizens of 8estern colonial societies such as #ustralia now find themsel$es tarred with the same brush as the citizens of post 8orld 8ar !! <ermany ? that of %nowin" about potential and actual ille"al acts, but failin" to stand up for .ustice and defend $ulnerable, innocent peoples from beastly, inhuman oppression inflicted in the name of 8estern colonial ci$ilization The "uilt thus imposed on the #ustralian population is crushin", but allowin" this "uilt to silence us a"ain would be a mista%e !n fact, #ustralians ha$e ne$er fail to spea% out in situations of in.ustice, but we ha$e been "ra$ely misled and silenced at times (ow can we e'plain #ustralia3s part in these historical farces, hold those responsible to account, reco"nise our social responsibilities, and ta%e steps to pro$ide restorati$e .ustice to $ictims@ :ass media deception is now a well6%nown phenomenon, ha$in" recurred throu"hout the 20th century, and drawin" lar"e populations into international wars 8e are now certain that both the in$asion of !ra& and the 7ietnam 8ar were initiated by "ross media deceptions (ow can we stop this happenin" a"ain@ The ;nited )ations made a start by writin" the ;) +onstitution of (uman 5i"hts, but this document remains only an ideal, because it has not been implemented worldwide =erhaps the ;nited )ations should ma%e another start, by writin" a ;) +onstitution on the 5esponsible ;se of :ass :edia in !nternational +onflict :ana"ement :any thin%in" #ustralians such as John =il"er, who discerned the unreason behind the alle"ations made a"ainst 7ietnam and !ra&, and the a""ressi$e responses proposed, and made their $iews %nown, were intimidated by media threats and ridicule !n a"reement with them, thousands of #ustralians marched in the 7ietnam :oratoriums, and many thousands of Sydney residents marched a"ainst the loomin" in$asion of !ra&, ta%in" to the streets en masse to protest # massi$e silencin" and inimidation campai"n followed these protests 9ue to an a""ressi$e, coordinated "lobal media blac%out on such protests, the #ustralian protesters3 $oices and ima"es were either misrepresented as criminal, or went unheard and unseen locally, re"ionally, and "lobally Since then, media suppression, destruction, and distortion of the historical records of these #ustralian anti6war campai"ns has become routine (owe$er, an ethical minority of $oices in the media, reli"ious faiths, the writin" profession, and some in political opposition to established powers, were able to record well6pro$en facts about the causes and outcomes of the 7ietnam and !ra& wars John =il"er, the #ustralian .ournalist, is one of those $oices (e and many coura"eous collea"ues re$ealed the total lac% of e$idence for !ra& amassin" /weapons of mass destruction0, and e'posed the decepti$e, manipulati$e tactics of irresponsible political
leaders John =il"er3s ability to write and spea% effecti$ely about these issues is the outcome of an e'cellent education in the En"lish lan"ua"e, media communication and mana"ement, and responsible international .ournalism !t seems that we need an ethical #ustralian )ational School of Journalism and :edia, to produce many more .ournalists and political consultants of his il%, in order to a$oid further deadly entan"lements in "lobal war via media manipulation