He is the most powerful person in Australia. He is the symbolic ‘average viewer’ who influences television news content, which in turn affects polling, which in turn drives government policy, which is based on keeping the ill-informed happy, which is based on … not very much at all really.
By far, the majority of Australians mainly watch commercial TV rather than the national broadcasters ABC and SBS, and herein lies the problem. Despite the onslaught of social media, television remains the major influencer of community attitudes.
As a depressing example, people who get most of their news from commercial TV (and radio) are more likely to believe the conspiracy theory that climate change is a natural phenomenon rather than caused by humans, a new study has found.
The Monash University study has also shown that the standard of civic values is decidedly lower across the broader commercial viewership spectrum.
Commercial TV newsrooms know per se, that justice for Indigenous people is of little interest. Any talk about climate change has become boring, and politicians are instant channel-surfing prompters. No conscience pricking, no evoking worthwhile thought about real issues, no substance – these are ratings killers.
There’s nothing like a really good freeway pile up to attract ghoulish interest, and when a celebrity like Alan Jones becomes scandal material, the tall poppy syndrome kicks in with fiendish delight. These things keep people – who vote -happy and ill-informed, leaving public awareness in a sad and sorry state.
Australia – where democracy is based on … not very much at all really.
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