Reflection on Gillard and the media

[freakiness]

Dennis Muller writes about ethical lapses by journalists

disclosure: academic not political writer

I have posted the first part of the article. 

http://theconversation.com/ethical-lapses-by-journalists-contributed-to-gillards-demise-15595?utm_me...

An integral power of the media is that of portrayal: the act of determining how people, events, ideas and organisations are described to the public, and therefore how they are perceived by the public. In this way, the media constructs for us our understanding of the world beyond our personal knowledge and experience.

For those of us who have never met Julia Gillard, our perceptions of her are based almost entirely on what we see, hear and read of her in the media. These perceptions are then reflected in public opinion polling, and the publication of these poll results tends to reinforce the perceptions. It becomes a self-perpetuating cycle.

Eventually, in this case, the poll results got so bad that Gillard’s parliamentary colleagues replaced her as Labor leader with Kevin Rudd.

So of course it is true to say the media played a part in the demise of Gillard as prime minister. The harder question is: did the media play a part that was ethically wrong?

Some elements of the media, notably commercial radio talkback shock jocks Alan Jones, Ray Hadley and Chris Smith, clearly did. Their depictions of, and remarks about, Gillard were disgustingly offensive. Not only were they sexist, extremist and malicious, but in Jones’s case involved encouragement of the idea that the prime minister should be dumped at sea.

[icyfroth]

 lol! the media is a tart.

whoever pays the most gets the love.

[just_me_karen]

Yes that's the problem, Rupert has the cash and pays the wages... But hopefully well get some balance now Kevin is there. I'm tired of reading non stop scare-mongering, drama and negativity 

[izabsmiling]

Oh yes it's all the media's fault :^O

much worse than that.Since the media supposedly gives the public what they want ...it's those Australians who love gossip,hate and fear,degrading, gutter trash media who are to blame.

[izabsmiling]

it's not just the media standards in this Country which have dropped 

[izabsmiling]

is this the author ?

http://theconversation.com/profiles/denis-muller-1865/profile_bio

..In 2006 he completed a doctoral thesis on media ethics and accountability, and was appointed a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Public Policy, where he has taught in the Public Policy program since 1997.

He has also taught research methodology at RMIT University, and teaches defamation law to practising journalists through the Communication Law Centre.

if he can't make those statements and have them given credit ...who can ?

[monman12]

POD: "Icy , the media is the first port of call as a scapegoat"

Of course, it is not acceptable what the public think, because they are PM (publicly  misinformed)

Gillard has said: "what I am absolutely confident of is it will be easier for the next woman and the woman after that and the woman after that. And I'm proud of that."

Personally I think that many politicians (both sides) will view Gillard's PM term overall as a salutory lesson, and it will in effect, now be much harder for a woman to become PM.

[icyfroth]

POD: "Icy , the media is the first port of call as a scapegoat"

Of course, it is not acceptable what the public think, because they are PM (publicly  misinformed)

Gillard has said: "what I am absolutely confident of is it will be easier for the next woman and the woman after that and the woman after that. And I'm proud of that."

Personally I think that many politicians (both sides) will view Gillard's PM term overall as a salutory lesson, and it will in effect, now be much harder for a woman to become PM.

totally agree.

[izabsmiling]

regardless of or aside from people's personal opinion of Julia Gillard 

I would seem to me  that Denis Muller is well qualified to comment on the media's performance.(the rest of his bio is in the link above) .

[vampire-teddy]

POD: "Icy , the media is the first port of call as a scapegoat"

Of course, it is not acceptable what the public think, because they are PM (publicly  misinformed)

Gillard has said: "what I am absolutely confident of is it will be easier for the next woman and the woman after that and the woman after that. And I'm proud of that."

Personally I think that many politicians (both sides) will view Gillard's PM term overall as a salutory lesson, and it will in effect, now be much harder for a woman to become PM.

this last paragraph proves that she was judged on her gender.  we have had male prime ministers  who have done questionable things and lied but we still elect more men but if someone considers a female prime minister had done something wrong (which i personally don't agree with) then we won't vote in another woman.  just further proof that women are treated completely differently from men.  men can be physically unattractive, have bad dress sense, lie, back stab colleagues, be racist, homophobic, sexist, have bad or no policies, mislead the public and everything is fine.  a women is judged by her appearance before she even opens her mouth.

the press have a lot to answer for.  personally i think Australia will lose whoever wins the next election. 

[izabsmiling]

It was worth reading in full thanks Freaki.this is from the link in the OP and perhaps relevant as this is a social media site 

http://theconversation.com/ethical-lapses-by-journalists-contributed-to-gillards-demise-15595?utm_me...

While the mainstream media were thus engaged in their own systemic failings, elements of social media were sordid beyond description, wallowing in pornographic depictions of the prime minister and making slurs of the most degrading kind.

Fortunately the mainstream media kept well away from this material, but it showed how the licensing of vulgarity in public debate can lead to magnified crudity in social media. This, in turn, can create an atmosphere in which even lower standards of public debate are tolerated.

The media’s role in the demise of Julia Gillard as prime minister was complex. Part of it was a consequence of the media just doing its job. But part of it also was the result of ethical failures. These included crude abuse and incitement to hatred on commercial radio talkback, while among other mainstream media the failure of impartiality, failure of contextual accuracy, and the willingness to exploit rather than challenge debased public discourse.