The Role of Dissemination of Information on News - Assignment Example

INTRODUCTION ABC is an acronym referring to the Australian Broadcasting Commission established in 1932 and undertook its first radio broadcast on 1 July that 1932. Television broadcasting took place in 1956 and its independent incorporation was in 1983. The SBS refers to the Special Broadcasting Service took its operations first in 1975 and 1980 saw its first television broadcasting. It however became fully incorporated in 1991 as an independent broadcasting corporation. The ABC and SBS became statutory1 broadcasting bodies that were established through legislation through the ABS and SBS charters. The two charters provides for the specific functions and roles to be played by ABC and SBS. The ABC Charter for instance provides that the ABC should ensure that it provides innovative and comprehensive and innovative services in broadcasting. They should also ensure that in their provision of high standards of entertainment they maintain and reflect the diversity of Australia’s culture and Australian community. Moreover it is mandated to provide educational programs in nature to ensure promotion of musical, performing arts and drama of the Australian people and transmit it to other countries. The role of dissemination of information on news, current affairs and entertainment should be for encouragement of awareness of Australia’s understanding of world affairs and attitudes. The provision of multilingual and multicultural radio broadcasting forms part of the SBS Charter in its role as a national broadcaster. It goes on to provide that television services should be created to inform, educate and entertain all Australians and should seek to reflect Australia’s multicultural society2. Moreover specific functions include, contributing to creating as a goal of attaining the communication needs of Australia’s ethnic and Aboriginal requirements. The ABS and SBS provide the Australian public with news broadcasts, television programming and it also ensures that information is disseminated to the public. They act as the National broadcasters and different Charters have been passed to ensure that they deal with their duties as mandated by them. The first role that can be identified is to inform and entertain Australians this is through dissemination of Australia’s cultural identity. Moreover it also plays a role through televising images and radio broadcasts all over the world. The role that needs to be played by ABC and SBS in informing and entertaining Australians is on the premise that it should promote the diversity of all Australian cultures and also the understanding of the unique character and characteristics of the entertainment industry. It has been stated that the two broadcasters and other players should be well endowed with providing a cultural platform to ensure that culture is delivered to the society in form of art3. One of the main functions is through delivering to Australian television and radio contents. Television content entails locally produced dramas as well as contents that are produced from other countries (Grant 2004, 32). The broadcasters should be critical in ensuring that they adopt clear objectives in the television, radios and new media to highlight their role in protecting our culture and identity (Abdelhaleem and Shellhammer 2011 , 34). The Australian government amended the ABC Charter to mandate minimum levels of programs on Australian drama on the ABC to adopt plans similar to those in commercial free-to-air television networks4. SBS also undertook changes to provide additional hours every year of Australian dramas, documentaries, comedies and entertainment on its basic television channel by the year 20125 These roles are also to be based on the facts of universalism, localism, innovation and quality and education to ensure that Australian content is used and well disseminated. It should also be goal of national broadcasters provide more media channels and platforms to ensure that our cultural diversity is attained. The ABS and SBS should also entertain Australians by providing sufficient programmes for young children. This role is played through commercial networks and also through subscription television. This is to ensure that young children are educated and entertained because it acts as a supplement to what is taught in the classrooms and industry sectors6. In dedicating one digital channel for children which is commercial free would ensure children are well informed7. It was also contended by SBS that it could also play a role by ensuring children’s programming are made available throughout their multichannel especially those in languages not in English but subtitles would be provided in English. Staying at par with current news events and affairs is also in provision of entertainment. The services are provided both on-line and off-line transmissions by the networks. This involves regular evening bulletins and current affairs and also material programmes are scheduled. ABC and SBS have a vast list of journalist based overseas to ensure that the news covered is as extensive as possible. It is crucial to note that national broadcasters should be avenues for public education and also offer opportunity of mature judgment of ideas. In this instance they should be regarded as repository of knowledge, rather than only the fact of submitting information8 Formulation of policies that govern children’s programme should not only be limited to current trends in television and online broadcasting. The programmes should be diverse to ensure that knowledge imparted is not only limited to Australia but from other areas. Technology embraced by ABC and SBS is enough to sufficiently enhance the impact and value of the news and information content through digitization. The creation of many media channels is essential in ensuring that more diverse programmes are provided for. The technologies are to include Digital TV, broadband, subscription TV and digital television. The ABC and SBS are to be comprehensive in bringing diverse and to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians. There needs to be a balance between broadcasting programmes that provide a wide appeal and a more specialized broadcasting of programmes. The only domestic programming area is education that has been explicitly mandated to provide on-line requirements under the two charters. (Conroy 2008, 34). Yes the Charters for SBS and ABC as the national broadcasters need to be amended to define certain directions and priorities. For instance the ABC’s Charter9 requires that it provides for innovative and comprehensive services and also to provide equilibrium between the programmes being broadcasted for extensive appeal and specialized programmes. This needs to be amended based on the fact that the broadcasters need to decide how to deploy scarce resources and also the platform for its delivery (Stuart and Turner 2010, 44). There needs to be a diversion to give audiences to expect greater levels of interactivity and more choice of when and how they consume the contents. There is also a need to ensure that they align with contemporary trends in the community needs. More discretion ought to be provided in determining what kind of information needs to be vetted or edited to ensure that priorities of the media are met by taking into account the different platforms. PRESENTING AUSTRALIA TO THE WORLD Yes , consideration needs to be given to oversees broadcasting is significantly promoted by our national broadcasters, and it is done broadcasting either through the television or the radio , online content delivery, and enhancement of local broadcasting capacity to neighbouring countries through projects designed. It would go a great mile in ensuring that our local programmes achieve success and acceptability globally. The main modes should include firstly securing China as an access for Australia Network for terrestrial television services. This will ensure that China accesses our local programmes them being one of our neighbouring countries (Pan 2010, 101). The Middle East would be ideal for the Australia’s Network and Radio Australia. Overseas broadcasting should also undertake to enhance news coverage, more educational programming and activities aimed at institution building in Pacific areas. The offing of local-language captioning would ensure that countries such as Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand understand the local programming language. ABS and SBS should also initiate further projects to enhance broadcasting skills and infrastructure throughout the Pacific, in corporation with Australian Government agencies. The Australian government has been instrumental in ensuring overseas broadcasting is attained is by creating adequate policies for streamlining this vision. The main area it seeks to focus on is the Asia- Pacific regions. It is stated that the fact that there is a shift in global economic weight to Asian countries has enabled the foreign affairs ministry to focus their attention on the Asian countries10. The Australian policy also focuses on other services provided by national broadcasters of other countries based on their reputation and brand. This also focuses on ABC and SBS to change their brand in order to attain the highest reputation in national broadcasting services. The policies are intertwined because they seek to ensure that the common goal of broadcasting is achieved. Yes, there needs to be a reconciliation of Australia’s priorities to ensure that the engagements with the Asia- Pacific area with the requirements for the independence of the editorial and operational stakes of the national broadcasters. This is because the current set up does not guarantee the editorial independence of oversees broadcasting. It is provided for that the ABS and SBS are governed by statutory provisions and hence their independence is provided by statute. The contractual obligations, which are related to the Australian network11, provides that ABC is not explicitly required to adopt views or any other form of policy directions that are from the Government in ensuring the endowment of International broadcast services. The editorial independence requirements must be formulated to maintain the devotion particularly in countries or regions where state-owned media is often politically aligned. Yes there exists ways in which the impact of foreign broadcasting services of the ABC can be better monitored and fast tracked. Firstly the government can use various forms of platforms to ensure delivery of international services such as shortwave broadcasts, retransmissions through FM, and also through on-line delivery of services. These methods would ensure that ABC and SBC know the exact number of international viewers by how the demand for the services is attained (Murray 2006 36). Tracking will also be enabled by ensuring that the technology adopted reflects the Australian’s values and perspectives to the overseas audiences. The mandate of ABC should be that all kinds of programming transmitted gives the true position of the Australians and that it do not jeopardize the culture. This will ensure that the industry is essentially tracked and governed. The use of resources and funding would also be a crucial indicator of overseas services. The diversion of sources of funding would indicate which sectors of overseas broadcasting requires to be improved or has been perfected. Bibliography Read More