Abstract:
This article reports on the quantitative analysis of a large-scale
study of the coverage of aid and humanitarian issues in the
Australian media in 1999. It should be read in conjunction with
the qualitative analysis (forthcoming in AJR). The analysis indicates
there are large variations in the amount and type of information
on these issues available to Australian audiences,
depending on their geographical location, print/television/radio
and public/private media preferences. For some audiences,
including private sector outlets in all media outside the Sydney-
Canberra-Melbourne media reach, extremely limited information
is available on these issues. There are marked differences
between mastheads/sections/programs within particular media
outlets, and between print/television/radio media. Across all
media there is a tendency for saturation coverage of a small number
ofissues, most notably East Timor in the period of our study,
and the exclusion of coverage of a broader range of issues,
events and regions. Coverage tends to be organised around
themes of conflict and violence, to tocus on certain international
regions and to ignore or underplay others, to be sourced from
international media outlets and to favour spokespeople notfrom
the people most directly affected by the issues being reported.
