it's not just the political news that is a sorry state
ABC, Heywire 30/4/2013
Young Australians are sick of the negative media
Now I don't know whether I can believe anything I read in the news - Luke, Cairns, QLD
At the 2013 ABC Heywire Regional Youth Summit 32 young regional Australians developed seven exciting ideas for change. The group who identified the positive representation of youth in the media as an important issue for young people developed the idea getting the balance right.
THE IDEA: Getting the balance right
What if positive stories about youth were portrayed in the media more frequently? As young Australians, we believe that the media often inaccurately portrays us in a negative light. The unbalanced reporting reflects us poorly with stories about, for example, substance abuse, delinquency, risk taking, poor decision making, lack of ambition and disrespect for public property.
A study by the Service to Youth Council (SYC) found that seven out of ten articles written in Australia about youth are negative. The media is a powerful social influencer. People believe what the media tells them. No wonder there are so many negative connotations associated with Gen Y.
As part of National Youth Week 2014, we propose that one day of the week should be dedicated to changing the negative stereotypes about young Australians that are so often reported in the media.
