‘Unconscious biases seeping into news coverage’: New report finds Australian media industry is under-reporting on older population
A new report has found that the Australian media industry is failing to accurately represent older people and the issues they face, with a mass culture of negativity towards ageing.
The report – ‘Shaping Perceptions: How Australian Media Reports on Ageing’ which was commissioned by the Australian Human Rights Commission – analysed reports from major news networks across the country, with interviews conducted with dozens of prominent journalists, academics, and communications professionals.
It found severe under-reporting or misrepresentation of the matters affecting ageing Aussies across the mainstream media, with negative stereotypes, exclusion of older people’s personal experiences, minimised impacts of various issues, and a portrayal of older people being economic or social burdens.
