In this week’s Tuesday class, we discussed the mediatization of broadcast media. Prior to this class, it had been months since I had actually sat down and watched live broadcast news. Lately, I’ve been tuning in a bit more, however, and I do feel like the platform suffers greatly from becoming too mediatized.

We discussed how news should aim to inform and educate its audience, as well as provide a platform for competing and critical opinions. I feel like this is where broadcast media suffers most, as it feels (to me, at least) like it often comes with heavy bias or other agenda. Funnily enough, as we watch satirical “fake news” broadcasts, I feel as though these shows are not only more compelling but more educational for its viewers.

The most obvious example of broadcast news being marred by overt mediatization or bias would be the U.S’s Fox News. Since the 2016 election, the channel has been the subject of major criticism by left-wing factions due to its often extremist opinions and incorrect ‘facts’. See below:

 

While Australian broadcast media isn’t usually as  bad as channels like Fox News, I don’t think they are completely blameless. For example, last years focus on the ‘African gangs’ crisis, where we saw dozens of news packages focussing on the supposed crisis of Sudanese crime despite an ABC Fact Check confirming that Sudanese crime rates make up only 1% of the total crime rates in Victoria. See below:

With this in mind, I feel like the relationship between media and the political sphere should be closely monitored by audiences and fact-checkers alike. With us more connected to the 24-hour news cycle than ever before, it would benefit both broadcast outlets and audiences alike to stick to the non-biased facts.