Beyond Terror : towards responsible media governance for Australia.

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