Portrayal of Indigenous Australians in the Media

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Portrayal of Indigenous Australians in
the Media
Introduction
Media portrayal effect many aspects on human’s life. Media impacts individual beliefs
and views or spread false information skewing an individual’s knowledge towards a specific
issue (Wheeler-Jones, Howlett, Seini, & Burns, 2015). The media portrayal effects perceptions
and stereotypes between Indigenous and non Indigenous Australians. Negative media portrayal
lead to racial discrimination in Australian society that is a social determinant of health
(Thomson, Mason, Bennett, & Johnston, 2016). Smoking is high among Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander compared to mainstream Australian society. Smoking is unhealthy behaviour and
a leading contributor to disease among Indigenous Australians and its portrayal in the media
effect perceptions and stereotypes that can lead to discrimination. Media need to incorporate
effective intercultural communication for cultural safety and avoid ethnocentrism that
exacerbates smoking of tobacco amongst Indigenous Australians. The following essay reviews
three media articles from ABC News, The Guardian Australian News and VOA East Asian
News on smoking amongst Indigenous Australians. This will involve analysing the media items
effect, linking smoking media portrayal with cultural safety and intercultural communication,
identifying positive, negative, and neutral qualities of the media items and exploring the impact
the media Items could have to it readers.
Media News Stories Review
The Guardian News- Smoking
(Link: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/apr/28/indigenous-health-aboriginal-
and-torres-strait-islander-smoking-rate-drops-below-40)
The media item was written by Helen Davidson on April 2016 about the smoking rate
among indigenous Australians dropping below 40%. The Journalist was reporting on National
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey that showed a third of the Indigenous

Australians who smoked had quitted. The media item reports the tremendous positive progress
that has been made to reduce smoking among Indigenous Australians as recorded by the
Australian Bureau of Statistics. The written shows that even if the drop is by small margin but it
an encouraging drop. The media item show that the main reason for the drop in smoking rate
among young Indigenous Australians aged 15 years and over is the increased prices for cigarette.
According to Thomson, Mason, Bennett, and Johnston, (2016) the price of a product in the
market affects consumers’ ability to purchase that impact quantities to be purchased. In 2002,
more than 50% of Indigenous Australians aged 15 year smoked daily that had improved to 39%
in 2014-15 (Thomson, Mason, Bennett, & Johnston, 2016). The media article therefore shows
that cigarette prices can be used further to reduce the high levels of smoking among Indigenous
Australians aged 15 and above.
The media article by Davidson (2014) has a positive title. The title shows improvement
through reduction of the smoking rate among Indigenous people to below 40%. The first
paragraph focus on a successful quit where a third of previously smoking Indigenous people
successfully quitted as recorded by the Australians Bureau of Statistics. The dominant focus of
the article is successful quit by Indigenous Australians aged 15-25yesrs. Davidson (2016) article
also has a negative focus on Indigenous Australians as being poor and cannot afford cigarette
and that why they are quitting and are likely to continue quitting smoking if the prices are
increased. The writer also records the health inequities that exist between Indigenous Australians
and non-Indigenous Australians.
The positive qualities in this media article could improve the perception and reduce the
stereotype against Indigenous people. Non-Indigenous Australian could be influenced to see the
positive side of the Indigenous communities that will reduce discrimination against them.
Negatively focused news stories could impact Indigenous people self esteem causing stress and
anxiety. The anxiety and stress increase the abuse of drugs leading to more undesirable health
outcomes (Rosen et al., 2014).