Media Consumption Habits of Australians

Discuss about the Cultural Safety in Healthcare for Current Australian Media.
 

Since Australia got independence from the colonial rule it has continued to carry the cultural dimensions of the western society. The media of Australian society is very open and liberal and the society supports and gives place for people from all cultures and nationalities. Australia has a diverse social stratification where people from world over comes to work and study. However there are various instances of racist incidents which are reported in the media and action is taken in most of the cases.

Australian media constitutes of the newspapers the news channels and the online news portals and websites. The political nature of Australia is very unstable these days as Australia has 5 Prime Ministers in the last 10 years. This is mainly because of the case that within the parties no confidence motion is proposed against a particular leader and the person challenging the leader may be getting the post if he or she manages to get most votes. Therefore it is often seen that the leaders may challenge the existing Prime Minister and there is a political change frequently in the new scenario.

The nature of media can be reported after analysing the nature of media consumption in the particular society. There are various researches that have endeavoured in understanding the nature of Australian media scenario. On of such research states that about 92% of total Australian audience regularly view the free to air news channels on television or through phone apps. This explains the level of influence that the Australian media is capable of creating in the society where about 92% people are depending on such media. The number is lesser in the case of newspapers where only 67% of the Australian people are currently seen to be engaging in reading the newspapers. In the case of the developing and underdeveloped nations the number is much lower in terms of media consumption through television or newspaper.

Social media is also presently a great source of news for the present generation. In many cases the news first break in the social media and then they are caught up. The same research by human rights department of Australia also states that there are connection between negative attitude and usage of social media. “There also appears to be some link between the consumption of social media and negative attitudes. Those who are more likely to be classified as holding predominantly negative attitudes (including younger respondents, university graduates, and full time workers) are also more likely to be accessing social media (such as Twitter and Facebook), when compared to those who are not classified in this manner” (Humanrights.gov.au, 2018).

The Role of Social Media in Shaping Public Opinion

The 2007 election is one of the important elections that had shown the influence of Australian media over the people of the country. Before the 2007 elections Sky News had promised one of the “the most comprehensive coverage Australian viewers have ever witnessed”. The news bulletins were made interactive in a way that the regular news bulletins were often disrupted by “breaking news” in which new developments were announced and the policy changes and decision makings were analysed post that scenario. However dr Sally Young states “Analysing primetime TV news stories, I found that the average election-news story is only two minutes long— and during this story, the reporter and host speak for more than half the time while politicians speak only in 7 second sound bites. The average news story about the 2007 election devoted less than 30 seconds to letting politicians speak in their own words. For example, on the 12 November, the day of the Coalition’s campaign launch, John Howard delivered a speech for 42 minutes but that night on the evening news, voters heard only 10.4 seconds of it” (Young, 2018). The author states that it is the typical nature of the American media to shrink the amount of sound bites with each passing day and the Australian TV media is fast going that way and soon there might be further shrinkage of sound bites if the trends continue to be the same. The scenario of the Australian political scenario is reflected in a recent study that states that only 10 percent of the Australian population take active interest in engaging, participating or enhancing knowledge about the political scenario of Australia, only 4 percent among them are members of a political party or group.

The “Research School of Social Sciences (RSSS) at the Australian National University including the Australian Survey of Social Attitudes and the Australian Election Studies” are the primary bodies that perform most of the political studies and functions in Australia. They are engaged in the political predictions, researches, and surveys and so on and so forth. Most of the Australian media bodies follow these academic bodies actively in order to keep up with the changing trends of society, politics and media.

Australian media has been instrumental in encouraging the social efforts and healthcare endeavours in Australia. As already seen that 92% of the Australian people are actively engaged in following the TV news and media they play a vital role in informing the audience about the healthcare scenario and the advancement in the social sector and the technological field as well. 

Challenges of Cultural Safety in Healthcare

In a recent report in ABC news one of the very important developments regarding the influence of media in Australian society and how Australian people react to it is stated well. The mentioned report states the case of NewsStand which is one of the non-profit organisations that works with news patterns and social issues in Australia conducted a research. “With initial support from the online campaigning organisation Getup, NewsStand began with a survey of community attitudes measuring attitudes to media concentration and the idea of a media inquiry. It found that 60 per cent of people favoured an inquiry and more than 70 per cent think there are too few media owners.” (Bacon, 2011). Therefore it is evident from the above conducted research that though a large number of people are following trusting the Australian media however within the people there is a doubt about the pattern of reporting followed by  the media. The people have emphatically stated in a large percentage, as large as 70 percent that there are “too few media owners”, therefore there is a lack of democracy in the pattern of reporting in the news media.

The two political camps of Australia are the liberals and the conservative group therefore evidently there are media sections which support the either side of the group. However there are common issues for which the media has historically stood up together and that includes instances like legalisation of gay marriage or social protest against the incidents of racism. The Australian society is multi-cultural and multi-dimensional and the media has played an important role in shaping people’s opinion. However the people have been open minded enough to take on the media reporting’s with enquiry and they do not blindly believe in the media reports. The lack of democracy within the Australian media has been pointed out by the people and there must be more transparency and openness in the way the media operates within the society. The phenomenon media bias is a characteristic feature of the media throughout the world and the Australian media is no exception where most of the individual media entities are seen to be taking sides or voicing opinions about political issues.   

The Australian media reports the various healthcare initiatives in the country in positive and negative way. There are instances when there are healthcare failures which are reported by the media and there are many instances when there are some of the very remarkable advancements in the field if healthcare and medicine (Sammer et al., 2013).

The Australian Media’s Reporting on Social Issues

Culturally safe healthcare is a phenomenon that can be described as the practice of heath care that is ethical and does not interfere in the cultural diversity of the various groups of population that survive in Australia and those are culturally diverse. These people are in need of the advanced healthcare system without the challenging the cultural norms these groups have been following throughout the times. There are many groups which are indigenous to Australia following distinctive cultural practices. There are different ethnic groups and there are various language groups that constitute the inner indigenous group of the Australian population. There are Australian healthcare professionals who have been working in the various internal areas of the Australian sub-continent and providing healthcare services to the indigenous population of the region. The media plays an important role in the cultural safeguarding and also in the case of healthcare dissemination (Halligan & Zecevic, 2011). The colonisation of the Australian region has many long-haul effects on Australia as a whole. There were various indigenous tribes which were effected. “Colonisation disrupted peoples’ connection to country, to culture, to communities and to families through policies that sought to control, stigmatise and intervene in people’s lives. Historically, doctors and other health professionals have been involved in colonising practices that have been detrimental to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and peoples” (Belfrage, 2007).

The following report in IN DAILY with the headline “The cuts our health system can’t afford” can be analysed to understand how media positively demonstrates their potential influence on cultural safety in health care. The opinion states that how investing in the mental health care activities can reduce pressure from the various existing hospital and community health care services.  Mental health is one of the important aspects of the cultural life of men. There are various needs of the individuals belonging to various cultural groups in terms of mental health and wellness. “With 50 per cent of the Australian population having a mental health diagnosis in their lifetime, these stories resonate with us all. A ripple affect happens as we start to share our own experiences, which improves community understanding and reduces stigma, making it easier for everyone to talk about it more openly” (Harris, 2017). 50 percent is a big number if considered in terms of the problem that is discussed. The statement that- discussing the problems in social settings is helpful in reducing the associated trauma and stigma, is remarkable. It is true that that the facing problems in a secluded situation where the problem is faced by the patient all alone with no support system catalyses the problem. On the other hand being a part of a social group that is supportive and finding other people struggling and fighting off similar crisis gives encouragement to the victim. The “Mental Health Coalition” has aimed to ensure that the families and individuals with problems in mental health and depressive syndromes get support that they need in the adequate time. There were programs that were taken by the group which provided mental health care services to the affected people in their homes. The program was termed as the “Intensive Home-Based Support (IHBSS), it reduced the number of hospitalisations and length of stay for these people”. The cultural safety of these people were safeguarded as they were given treatment in their home setting and their cultural dimensions were not challenged. There were additional benefits that were generated along with the cost savings and the support in their respective homes, these are a return to education, training and employment for those in recovery and their carers”. These services can be termed as “psychosocial or non-clinical support”. There is also the concept of “Partners in Recovery (PIR)”, similar people with similar problems share their situations and endeavour in moving ahead towards recovery (Hellings et al., 2007). Mental health illnesses constitute more than 24 percent of the “overall illness burden”, however the government spending in the same field has been less than 10 percent of the total budget. There are existing researches to show that the potential returns in investing in such similar programs are high. “The evidence is there – investing in mental health will make us happier, healthier and wealthier South Australians.” 

The Australian Media’s Coverage of Healthcare Advancements

The following report in “The Conversation” with the headline “Bad news: negative Indigenous health coverage reinforces stigma” can be analysed to understand how media negatively demonstrates their potential influence on cultural safety in health care. This report mainly surrounds the health issues of the Aboriginal people and how the gaps in life expectancy and “increasing rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease and asthma” are intrusively related to the aboriginal health. What is shocking is 74 percent of the media reports about the health of the Aboriginal people are deemed negative, this is stated in a research by “Public Health Advocacy Institute Western Australia (PHAIWA)” (Stoneham, 2014). The alarming rate of premature death are alarmingly high among the aboriginal people “Aboriginal people are four to five times more likely to die between the ages of 25 and 54 years than non-Indigenous Australians” (Sweet et al., 2014).  The question is such negative scenario is regularly portrayed in the media but what efforts are taken either by the media or by the authorities and officials to ensure that safe care is introduced to the indigenous people while safeguarding their cultural dimensions. Common negative reports related to the health of the aboriginals included “alcohol, child abuse, petrol sniffing, violence, suicide, deaths in custody and crime.” Whereas Stoneham states the positive ones include “education, role modelling for health, sport and employment”.

It is a known fact that the media has a great role to play in shaping the way people perceive issues and other people. It is therefore very natural that if the Aboriginals are consistently portrayed in the media as “drunks, welfare dependents and violent perpetrators”, it will naturally cause racist behaviour by the non-aboriginals towards them and which will in return pose major effect on the life and health of these Aboriginals (Duckett & Willcox, 2015). Therefore it is highly necessary that the media takes a stance which will promote safe care in health among aboriginals without harming the cultural identity of the indigenous tribes. “One strategy to overcome the sense of hopelessness created through negative media, is to focus on positive models of change and commitment in Aboriginal communities” (Flin, 2007).  One of the methods of helping the Aboriginal community to get infused with the mainstream urban Australian life is to up skill them without challenging the cultural ethos and ancient traditions of the Aboriginals (Morello et al., 2013).

The Complexities of Political Reporting in Australia

The role of media in shaping public opinion is undeniable. The media can portray a certain issue in a different light and people will start to believe depending on the goodwill of the media entity. Therefore to uphold and promote safe care in healthcare of Australia while preserving the cultural variations that exist in the country, the media must play a dynamic role, in reporting the incidents positively and empowering the people through encouragement of training and exposure. 

Reference:

Bacon, W. (2011). The use and abuse of excessive media power. [online] ABC News. Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-13/bacon-the-use-and-abuse-of-excessive-media-power/2882388 [Accessed 22 May 2018].

Belfrage, M. (2007). Why” culturally safe” health care?. Medical Journal of Australia, 186(10), 537.

Duckett, S., & Willcox, S. (2015). The Australian health care system (No. Ed. 5). Oxford University Press.

Flin, R. (2007). Measuring safety culture in healthcare: A case for accurate diagnosis. Safety science, 45(6), 653-667.

Halligan, M., & Zecevic, A. (2011). Safety culture in healthcare: a review of concepts, dimensions, measures and progress. BMJ quality & safety, 20(4), 338-343.

Harris, G. (2017). The cuts our health system can’t afford – InDaily. [online] InDaily. Available at: https://indaily.com.au/opinion/2017/10/13/the-cuts-our-health-system-cant-afford/ [Accessed 22 May 2018].

Hellings, J., Schrooten, W., Klazinga, N., & Vleugels, A. (2007). Challenging patient safety culture: survey results. International journal of health care quality assurance, 20(7), 620-632.

Humanrights.gov.au (2018). Chapter 4: The role and influence of the media | Australian Human Rights Commission. [online] Humanrights.gov.au. Available at: https://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/fact-or-fiction-stereotypes-older-australians-research-report-2013/chapter-4-role-and [Accessed 22 May 2018].

Leininger, M. M. (2011). Theory of culture care diversity and universality. New York.

Morello, R. T., Lowthian, J. A., Barker, A. L., McGinnes, R., Dunt, D., & Brand, C. (2013). Strategies for improving patient safety culture in hospitals: a systematic review. BMJ Qual Saf, 22(1), 11-18.

Nieva, V. F., & Sorra, J. (2007). Safety culture assessment: a tool for improving patient safety in healthcare organizations. BMJ Quality & Safety, 12(suppl 2), ii17-ii23.

Sammer, C. E., Lykens, K., Singh, K. P., Mains, D. A., & Lackan, N. A. (2010). What is patient safety culture? A review of the literature. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 42(2), 156-165.

Stoneham, M. (2014). Bad news: negative Indigenous health coverage reinforces stigma. [online] The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/bad-news-negative-indigenous-health-coverage-reinforces-stigma-24851 [Accessed 22 May 2018].

Sweet, M. A., Dudgeon, P., McCallum, K., & Ricketson, M. D. (2014). Decolonising practices: can journalism learn from health care to improve Indigenous health outcomes?. Medical Journal of Australia, 200(11), 626-627.

Weaver, S. J., Lubomksi, L. H., Wilson, R. F., Pfoh, E. R., Martinez, K. A., & Dy, S. M. (2013). Promoting a culture of safety as a patient safety strategy: a systematic review. Annals of internal medicine, 158(5_Part_2), 369-374.

Young, S. (2018). Politics and the Media in Australia Today. [online] Aph.gov.au. Available at: https://www.aph.gov.au/binaries/senate/pubs/pops/pop50/politics_and_the_media_in_australia_today.pdf [Accessed 22 May 2018].