Call to lift standard of age-related reporting
An Australian Human Rights Commission report calls for the aged sector and media to work together to improve reporting on issues related to older people.
The media is failing in its representation of older Australians and the issues they’re facing due to a lack of access to subject matter experts and specialist practitioners in the newsroom, according to a report from the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Issues identified in this month’s report – Shaping perceptions: How Australian media reports on ageing – include the framing of ageing as a problem and a prevailing narrative of decline, frailty and vulnerability. Other recurring themse include intergenerational conflict, gendered ageism and the invisibility of older Australians and their lived experiences.
The report also found that Australian media representations relefected a broader mainstram culture that undervalued older people and that they were underpinned by several specific drivers in the media including a lack of access to subject matter experts.
Other causes identified include:
- time and resource constraints
- loss of experienced and specialist practitioners in newsrooms
- invisibility of age within the diversity and inclusion space
- lack of consensus among academics
- workplace tensions between older journalists and younger journalists
- business drivers
The research – which involved a literature review plus in-depth interviews with media representatives, academics and corporate communications specialists – also identified opportunities for a collaborative approach to improving the accuracy, quantity and quality of coverage about older Australians and issues about or important to them.
To accelerate change, the report calls on the media industry and aged sector to work together to improve media access to relevant spokespersons and subject-matter experts.
It also calls on the two sectors to co-design and provide resources to increase industry awareness about ageism and strengthen editorial standards in reporting on age-related matters, and embark on a communications campaign to combat ageism within the media industry and wider community to help shift the narrative on ageing.
Ageism needs to be addressed, says peak
COTA Australia chief executive Patricia Sparrow said the issues related to reporting age-related matters were indicative of ageist attitudes in society in general.
“The Human Rights Commission’s new report has confirmed what we have all known for a while – that ageism is a scourge that continues to persist in all aspects of life in Australia,” said Ms Sparrow.
“As the report has shown, we’re seeing too much media representation which exploits negative stereotypes of older adults, using sensationalist headlines that stoke intergenerational tensions. This practice is not only misguided but deeply harmful.”
The media, governments and business all have a role to play in addressing ageism in reporting, said Ms Sparrow. She called on the federal government to develop a comprehensive strategy to tackle ageism and age discrimination, including laws, policies and practices.
“Let us not forget – we all age. Taking action against ageism and perverse stereotypes about older people today paves the way for better outcomes for everyone,” said Ms Sparrow.
Age Discrimination Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald said it was vital that older people were humanised and represented in mainstream culture, with their voices amplified, and the issues they faced told in an accurate and inclusive way.
“A strong, collaborative partnership between the media industry and the age sector is essential to achieve this. I look forward to working with them both to create a media landscape which respects our older population and accurately reports on the issues they face.”
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