In August 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, the Centre for Media Transition, First Draft, together with the Australian Baha'i Community hosted a second roundtable examining the relationship between social cohesion and the role of the media in society.
The Covid-19 pandemic heightened racial and economic inequalities and increased awareness of these forces as barriers in the way of social cohesion. On the other hand, the pandemic emphasized our sense of interconnectedness and co-existence as members of one global community.
Given that a key insight generated from the first roundtable was how instructive times of crisis can be, the second conversation focused on media responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. Those connected to the media through industry or academia, were invited to engage in an online discussion which sought to offer an opportunity to pause, reflect and contribute to a sincere dialogue about the role of the media in society - its agency and civic responsibility as a public good.
A pre-circulated concept note provided the basis for the conversation around the following questions:
- What new insights have emerged from our interdependence and interconnectedness as individuals, communities and social institutions and how has this been observed in media reporting?
- How can this community-building role be balanced with the media’s need to hold institutions to account through critique?
- What impact does the language of the media have on our response to crisis, resilience and our relationships as a society?
- What are the implications of media narratives on patterns of thought and behaviour? What have been some of the attitudes they have fostered during this time?
- What has been the value of the media during the Covid-19 pandemic?
Participants joined the discussion motivated by their aspirations: to build a more inclusive and representative media landscape; gain a greater understanding of what the media can achieve in terms of social cohesion; identify pathways for greater diversity in the media which then reflect multicultural issues which are part of our diverse country; highlight journalism ethics and identify how these can lend impetus towards a stronger more inclusive Australia; and discuss the role of journalism in our democracy.
Contributions from all participants enabled the conversation to draw out practical insights surrounding the values, principles and narratives that can be drawn on by the media when considering how news reporting can offer constructive input to our social well-being.
The pandemic was identified as an opportunity to revisit how media reporting can go beyond conflict and division and whether there’s value in redefining conflict in this context. The role of traditional news values were examined and how they impact the way society sees itself. A robust discussion unpacked assumptions underpinning traditional news values and the “conflict imperative” as “what has been done to date” rather than “what we should do”. This helped identify that if these news values continue with journalists solely focusing on the “conflict imperative” it would lead to a more divided globe.
Participants identified that in the same way stories focusing on scientific information were helpful for society to move through the pandemic, so too were stories which highlighted values and qualities in our society which helped individuals and communities remain resilient and become stronger, such as reporting around “the kindness pandemic”; stories of people reaching out to their neighbours with thoughtful acts of compassion and care. It was observed that during the pandemic, the media, through the narratives and stories reported on, shaped the direction of our thoughts and actions.
It was acknowledged that our understanding of impartiality has evolved in that newsrooms made up of people from diverse backgrounds offer a more robust and holistic approach to reporting the issues that affect all Australians. Discussions brought to the fore that a diverse newsroom allows for a stronger process which is better able to identify and understand complexities, which need to be considered when reporting on diverse communities. It was recognised that minorities are particularly impacted by media reporting, given that the public’s understanding about diverse communities is often formed through media narratives, hence why greater care ought to be taken to ensure their experiences are not misconstrued. By drawing on a wider breadth of people to tell their stories, more pronounced and authentic reporting can occur with greater context.
The pandemic was a point of reference in the analysis of the media and its responsibility towards “the greater good of humankind.” Given that media narratives can shape the direction in which we look, think and act, participants identified the importance of journalists asking: how is this report likely to impact our audiences?
During the roundtable a live working document was created with examples and key points. The edited version is available below.