Cultural Safety and Healthcare

Running head: CULTURAL SAFETY IN HEALTH CARE
Cultural Safety and Healthcare
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CULTURAL SAFETY IN HEALTH CARE 2
Introduction
Media plays a critical role in the lives of Australians in addressing health-related matters.
The significance of media is manifest from the significant quantity of time various people spend
on watching television sets, listening to radios and reading newspapers. There has been a rising
concern on how media is used to depict the status of health care of the Australian population
because of health care being a primary concern. There have been instances where the public and
private healthcare sectors utilise media to mould health behaviours and attitudes. In various
scenarios, media has been used for healthcare promotions which enhances the progress of
healthcare industry. Other instances, media has been used to depict the healthcare industry in a
discouraging and pessimistic manner.
The Australians hold power to shape the industry since the way they intercept
information from media impacts on the culturally safe health care in the Australian society that is
multicultural. This paper discusses the role and power of media and its influence it has on health-
related matters. It further critically analyses two media items, focusing on the positive and
negative influence the media has on cultural safe health care. The matters discussed herein is
critical in reinforcing Australia’s culturally safe health care.
Role and Power of Australian Media
The word media originates from the word medium which is a mode, which is used to
reach and give information to a large audience or target group. Media is an integral part of
healthcare because media has become part of people’s day-to-day needs. It plays a significant
role in creating and shaping the opinion of its audiences which in turn solidifies the society. Artz,
(2016) notes that the media is a watchdog, therefore, protects the interests of the public, hence,
creates public awareness and protect them against malpractices. In Australia today, those charged

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with health care leadership may take full advantage of their high-end positions and engage in
health crime syndicate and evil connections which results in making the common Australian
citizens miserable. Such evil engagements also result in loss of taxpayer’s money which used for
their gain. In such occurrences, the media becomes the fourth pillar of democracy after the
judiciary, executive and legislature. The media is responsible for upholding an embarrassing role
which guarantees that there is action against health oppression, misdeeds, injustices, bias and
oppression (Ibrus, 2015).
Since the introduction of television in the twentieth century, visual media has become a
critical tool that strongly engages in forming current news to Australians. This makes visual
media to be a strength for shaping the public opinion. The media plays a significant role in
impacting the citizens. Therefore, media representatives should be responsible for every news
that is presented to the citizen. It is imperative to note that media normally have an interpersonal
and mutual influence on the society. The content provided by media as denoted by Artz, (2016)
to the public makes the public to be tied and bound closely with material and development that is
spiritual to the entire population.
In recent times, the media’s role has immensely changed where they actively engage in
reconciliation and searching for the truth and also creating a public perception where they (the
public) would be shown respect. Barkow, O’Gorman and Rendell, (2012) reiterate that they
have been forced to rectify their past mistakes and therefore try to release facts that are
determined and confirmed. They expose information about the plight of other ethnic groups in
the Australian society which is an important step forward for empathy enhancement in the
society. There have been previous cases where the media only exposes the sufferings of one
ethnic group, and this resulted in spreading of hate among the varied ethnic groups. In such

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instances, it is expected that there will be loss of trust and satisfaction of victims of the particular
origin. Public education is one of the key roles media plays in Australia and all over the globe.
The media forms the new generations opinions about the health occurrences in the nation (Rolph
et al., 2015).
In the health sector, the media is powerful too. The power comes in because it acts as a
tool that maintains equilibrium in the nation whereby the public is well informed and have social
and democracy that is effective. In modern times, I have exceptional influence in most aspects of
the Australian’s lives. As much as media has three core function which includes to enlighten,
influence and entertain, the effects of the functions involve several dimensions in modern
Australia. Media has provided awareness in the health industry and is capable of shaping the
country’s economy, politics, individuals and social values.
Media has been able to provide health awareness to the public due to its supplemented
authority from its cementing force. It strives and ensures that citizens rights are served. The
media also has the power to connect governments, therefore, playing a role of ensuring that there
is a liaison between two nations. Through this, the public is capable of knowing the
government’s policies, feelings and opinions. In the Australian Digital Health Partnership,
according to the World Health Organisation, there is a need to share evidence and policies that
offer them support to provide improved digital services. Ibrus, (2015) notes that media has been
utilised to enable engagement by varied governments which have been witnessed from Hong
Kong. The mutual relationship is strengthened by media which can enhance good governance in
the country.
Critical Analysis of Media Items
The first article