There is no denying that the media plays a huge role in forming public opinion. The news we see in our newspaper, on our TV’s or on the Internet is the news that we depend on, what we see is what we believe and a majority of what we see is not positive news.
‘We live in a society that depends on information and communication to keep moving in the right direction.’
The media has been known to give a bad name to minority groups, with Indigenous Australians often being the target of media attacks that portray negative stereotypes.
The effects of British settlement in 1788 and the treatment of Indigenous Australians in the following years of European migration undeniably have affected the lives of the Indigenous people and the road to reconciliation has been a bumpy ride, we still see racist elements in the media today that go over many people’s heads without a second thought. This is reflected in an often-racist perception of white Australians in society. Nowadays there is not much that is taboo in the media. However if we did put some restrictions on what the news is allowed to present to the public, it may curb some of the negative stereotyping the media seems to force upon society.
The British colonization of Australia began with the arrival of the First Fleet in Botany Bay in 1788. A consequence of British settlement was appropriation of land and water resources, which continued throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries as rural lands were converted for sheep and cattle grazing. This initial invasion began a long road of hardship for the Indigenous people.
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission conducted an inquiry into the forcible removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their families. The report, Bringing them home, was released in May 1997. The 700-page report was undertaken as it was believed the public’s ignorance of history was hindering the healing process of families who were destroyed by...