MECM20006 Understanding Australian Media, Semester 1, 2025
Assignment 3: Research Essay
2000 words 50%
Due Tuesday June 10, 11.59pm, submission via LMS.
All essays should conform to general academic standards of presentation— spelling,
syntax, paragraphs, introduction, main body, conclusion, and references. The title as
set should appear on the first page, all pages numbered, and importantly your essay
should be properly referenced throughout (use any style, as long as you are
consistent; you can find style guides on the library website) and must include a full
list of references. References are not included in the word count.
Your essay should be typed/word-processed (1.5 or double-spaced lines).
Obviously in answering your chosen essay question you should use Australian
examples to support your response, and draw on subject themes, studies, theories,
concepts and debates. References in the questions below are from your weekly
readings and can be found in the subject reading lists for each week. These lists
contain relevant references for each weekly topic and have been developed to help
you write your essay, so please have a look at them.
A qualitative rubric will be used to assess your essay and can be found on the
submissions portal.
Note: Your research essay should not substantially repeat material you have
already presented in your media industry analysis, or other essays. Please be sure to
use quote marks to identify all quoted materials and references to show their source,
and please do not attempt to use AI to write your essay. We are able to accurately
automatically and manually detect AI written essays as well as materials recycled
from other essays, among other forms of academic misconduct. Infringements will
be referred to the School’s Academic Misconduct process. If you are unsure about
how to manage your citations or any other aspect of your essay, please ask your
tutor — we are here to help!
Topics (choose one of the following):
1. Does national media (local news media, television, radio, etc) still have a special
role to play in bringing people together around the idea of a shared imagined
national community, or does this not really matter anymore in an era of global
social media platforms and streaming services?
2. What was the aim of the Australian News Media Bargaining Code? Why did the
government think it was necessary and why did Google and Meta fiercely resist
the code?
3. Streaming Video on Demand subscriptions have risen as free-to-air television
viewing has dropped, though some of the fall in free-to-air viewing is
compensated for by audience growth for TV catch-up services. Does free-to-air
television have a future in a rapidly changing media environment? Why or why
not?
4. What does a normative approach to media regulation entail? Why are different
parties interested in shaping how media ‘should be’, and is a normative approach
justified?
5. Are the Australian content regulations that apply to free-to-air television still
valuable or are they an anachronism in a global world, even an unfair cost
burden to local media competing with global media? What, if any, role should
government play in regulating content?
6. Australian governments have long taken a ‘light touch’ approach to regulating
media. This has included a co-regulatory approach, where media is mostly self-
regulated via industry bodies. Why does this ‘light touch’ approach involve and
is it effective? How well does it serve the Australian public?
7. Media ownership in Australia is generally regarded as highly concentrated, with
few operators compared to equivalent western countries, and has become more
concentrated in recent years as ownership restrictions have been relaxed to
protect the commercial interests of local media companies. What are the trade-
offs in this form of deregulation, between the ‘public interest’ versus ‘commercial
interests’, and has government got the balance right? Why or why not?
8. Starkey (2017) describes radio as a ‘resilient’ medium yet also a ‘secondary’
medium. What do they mean by this and what are the ‘essential characteristics of
radio’ (662), that have ensured its resilience as a medium? Will these
characteristics continue to ensure the future of radio?
9. Muller (2014: 46–7) outlines nine values that govern the expression of principles
in the codes of ethics for journalism: honesty; truth-telling; fairness; respect;
independence; confidence-keeping; transparency; responsibility; and free speech.
What happens when these come into conflict with each other? You may wish to
discuss recent cases in your response.
10. According to some commentators, free-to-air broadcast television is an industry
in terminal decline. How likely do you believe these predictions of doom are, and
what factors might contribute to the ongoing decline or sustainability of the free-
to-air television industry in Australia?
11. The news media business model and audience behaviour have been profoundly
changed by online media. How has this impacted journalism as a profession and
the ways in which individual journalists work? Should we be concerned for the
long-term future of journalism? Why or why not?
12. The ABC is subject to seemingly constant political controversy and has found
itself regularly under attack by commentators and politicians. What factors have
driven dissatisfaction with the ABC and how has the ABC sought to counter
them? How effective have its strategies been?
13. The Australian media plays a large role in its own regulation, working in
conjunction with ACMA. How does co-regulation work and what are the
advantages and/or disadvantages of this approach? In your response you may
wish to address issues of commercial and public interest, and the balance
between them.
14. Tourism campaigns play an important role in ‘nation branding’. What is nation
branding and what role have tourism campaigns played in building an
Australian brand?
15. Australian tourism campaigns appear destined to repeat national stereotypes.
Why is this and what alternatives might there be, given the connections such
campaigns seek to make with national identity?
16. Bias in the representation of race and gender has long been a widely
acknowledged problem in Australian media, particularly in the television
industry. How has this problem manifested and what measures might be taken
to address it? You may wish to focus on the role played by particular
organisations in addressing these issues.
17. The ‘fourth estate’ model of journalism positions journalism as a disinterested
observational practice, yet in practice news outlets often seek to play a role in
shaping perceptions around issues and debates. With reference to one or two
recent Australian issues and debates, outline an occasion when a media outlet
has played this role, the strategies that have been used, and an assessment of how
effective these strategies appear to have been in shaping debate.
18. Advertisers don’t simply try to sell products, they often make identity-based
appeals to consumers that they seek to link to memorable experiences. Discuss
with reference to a specific campaign or campaigns in Australian media (your
examples can include global brands). NB: You can often find details about
particular campaign execution and reach on advertising agency websites.
19. Large digital media companies such as Facebook and Google command a
growing share of advertising revenues in Australia. Is this be accepted as an
inevitable outcome of technological change, or should some form of regulatory
action be taken to protect Australian media companies from revenue losses?
20. Media outlets have on occasion used business models based in division, and in
playing one sector of the community off against another. How does this play out
in the current ‘war on woke’? Frame your response with reference to specific
examples.
21. Founded as a ‘market failure’ media outlet, critics of the ABC argue that it has
outlived its role as a public utility and no longer deserves public subsidy given
that the internet fills many ‘market failure’ gaps that legacy commercial media
failed to address. How powerful is this argument and does the ABC have a
continued role as a ‘market failure’ media outlet?
22. Journalists have had to learn to cope with a 24/7 rolling news cycle and have
faced considerable career pressures give the impact of the internet on news
media, and yet new methods and opportunities have also become available. On
balance, how have these changes impacted journalism and what is the likely
future of the profession?
If you would like to research a topic of your own choice, please consult with your
tutor.

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