Is Talkback Radio Important for Democracy in Australia - Essay Example

Is Talkback Radio Important for Democracy in Australia Talkback radio, in its present function is not working as it should be to facilitate democratic practice in Australia. Commonly known as talk radio, talkback radio is a type of radio format giving Australian listeners a venue to discuss political and other current issues (en.wikipedia.org). 1 Democracy is government of the people, for the people and by the people. Given the context of both, it is not unexpected to assume that the prior supports the latter. Talkback radio ideally is democracy in action. Talkback radio's history in Australia dates back to the mid 1920's but was not made legal until the late 1960's. It was not officially permitted as, in radio; there is a difficulty to screen libelous and offensive calls. Following the lifting of previously strict regulations and the development of a tape delay system, talkback radio started being visible once again in 1967. It, however, grew bigger in the 1992 when the Broadcasting Act brought commercial radio deregulation and instead of its news and current affairs programs being hosted by "journalists", these were handled by "entertainers." 2 1 This is discussed at length at .2 See Turner page 3-4 for talkback radio host John Law's statement that they were more entertainers than journalists. Why these radio personalities who were considered stars in their own right were classified as entertainers is clearly explained in Adam's and Burton's TALKBACK: Emperor's of Air. Adam's and Burton explained that the infamous talkback radio hosts are, in fact, only presenters. By this, it means that "their involvement is [that] few moments of autocue reading (11)." In this type of arrangement, there are reporters and producers who gather, interpret and develop the data. The final product shall then be broadcasted by the talkback radio host, the figurehead of the show (Adams and Burton 11). The implication of this is that figureheads wield power. While it is plausible that some, although not all, radio show hosts have a limited knowledge of a topical issue, their stand and their opinions greatly influence that of the general public. Two of the most popular radio stations broadcasting talkback radio in Australia, credited mostly to its right-wing hosts, are 2UE and 2GB. The previous began its broadcasting stint 26 January 1925 and was originally called 2EU. The station offers current affairs program in the mornings with and in the afternoons and evenings a more relaxed programming. 2GB that started its operation in 1926 runs on a similar format as that of 2UE. While both are widely accepted, 2GB is considered the more influential of the two. 3 It will be incomplete to mention the two rival stations without considering the major role of their popular programs' figureheads in the growing popularity of both talkback radio stations - John Laws and Alan Jones. Radio Manager of 2UE even, confidently, stated that Laws and Jones "were the two most powerful men in the country, after the Prime Minister (qtd. fr TALKBACK: Emperors of the Air)." 3 For more information please refer to and . John Laws who has worked for various radio stations and even had a short stint at television before settling at 2UE. 4 Laws' return to 2UE propelled the station's rise to the number one spot. Laws' programs are syndicated in Australia and are very much popular in the rural areas. His programs tackle newsworthy issues; even then, he is not a journalist per se, merely a presenter. Notwithstanding Laws' seeming lack of in-depth knowledge of the issues he is tackling, given that he only echoed to the public what was gathered by station reporters, his appeal was nothing short of astounding. His authority influenced much of the listeners' opinions and actions. The same is true for Alan Jones' control over the affairs of the masses and even the political units. According to wikepedia.org Jones, whose career path started from coaching and administrating rugby union and league, to teaching, to being a speech writer for politicians, uses the "shock jock" 5 style of broadcasting. Previously an underdog compared to the then more experienced and more popular Laws, Jones joined 2UE when Laws left for 2GB. He saw increasing popularity and gained a wide following of listeners in his breakfast shows. He later transferred to 2GB for a reportedly bigger offer. He then went on to become as popular as Laws, 4 Laws has worked with 2UE before, and even 2GB then returned to 2UE when the station dropped to number eight in the ratings. See for more details. 5 Shock jock is a colloquial term for a broadcaster that uses humor, offensive or otherwise, in attracting the listeners' attention . if not more, as his radio network mostly because of his doing eclipsed that of 2UE. These talkback radio programs with their prominent broadcasters' are influential in purporting a democratic Australia, idyllically that is. Talk radio purveys free speech. That is the central idea of the program supposedly to provide the proper setting for people to air out their concerns and their opinions on recent concerns. Though these radio programs offer such, it is widely observed and accepted that the anchors, figureheads, presenters, whatever we call them, have so much power in dictating the stance of the public on a certain issue. Adams and Burton stated that a "talkback station can fuel the flames of its own outrage, an all-hands-to-the-pump effort to ensure a matter of mild public concern becomes one of a national crisis (2)." This goes to show how much a talkback radio program can do to escalate or downscale a certain matter. Why such authority As noticed, talkback radio programs' medium is of course the radio. The radio is an intimate medium6 according to Adams & Burton, meaning it creates a close relationship between the listener and the broadcaster. Experience suggests that a person's personal opinion and decision can be dissuaded by those closest to them. If we consider this scenario to be correct, then it supports the statement that talkback radio is indeed very influential. Talkback radio has a great deal of significance in Australia, but it does not use its influence the way it should. The personas behind the most listened to talkback radio stations in Australia were not without controversies. Both Laws and Jones have been subjected to various negative storms regarding their supposed "unethical" ways of practicing mass media. 6 See Adams & Burton page 15 for an explanation of this observation. While Laws' argument states that he can not be breaching journalism code of ethics as he, as a presenter, is not a journalist but rather an entertainer, 7 the programs that he and Jones handled were, in nature, media practice. Both Laws and Jones were in the Cash for Comment scandal reported by ABC-TV Media Watch. The story exposed the unethical practice of getting commissions from companies and/or political groups or personalities in exchange for a favorable light in the radio program. In Turner's "Ethics, Entertainment and the tabloid: The case of Talkback Radio in Australia," he elaborates how this arrangement in the industry has been around for the longest time was not given much attention, not until the release of the Laws and Jones case. The Cash for Comment scandal according to Turner presented "the media's successful and unregulated pursuit of its mass audience took it beyond the reach of ethical appeal against its specific practices" (1). The very practice of it showed the dispute between "commercial and community or democratic imperatives," 8 wherein the personalities behind sacrificed perhaps content over financial gain. This issue perhaps showed the dropping in the relevance of ethical standards in the practice of mass media in Australia (Turner 2). This is the consequence of providing leniency in the regulation of a medium that was considered more of a business. 7 Jones, unlike Laws, did not defend himself instead flatly denied the allegations (Turner 3). 8 Turner argued the issue that is very apparent in the Cash for Comment that scandal is that of an ethical regime within a medium that focuses more on entertainment than on information dissemination. In effect, the talkback radio has become more of a tabloid. As thoroughly discussed in Turner's work the practice within the industry caused the emergence of various ethical issues. One of the issues was that, instead of providing listeners accurate information, the broadcasters have misled them with those that which benefit their donors. Given this, a deliberate intent to make advertising and editorial content indistinctive is very apparent. Another issue was that while the status of talkback radio programs has been contested as to being an information source to being an entertainment program, it is considered still as a news and current affairs program and should therefore adhere to mass media ethical standards of providing accurate and objective news regardless of whether or not its hosts are journalists. The third issue tackled by Turner was that the Cash for Comment arrangement showed an abuse of power by the accused. In effect, they are making business out of concerns of national interests. The fourth and last issue and the one that Turner considered the most unfortunate is the fact that this showed how lenient and inadequate the current codes of practice is. The surface of the above-mentioned number of issues apparently shows that while talkback radio is a medium that supports democracy, the practice within the industry clearly veered away from the purpose for which it was made. Take for example the Cash for Comment scandal, it showed how it is possible for those who have a hand on influencing media content to inhibit effective political participation. This kind of practice definitely inhibits democracy. While the listeners were made to believe that through active participation in talkback radio programs they are exercising their right to free speech, the presenters have already maneuvered information for the benefit of those who paid for their service. In this kind of arrangement, the setup of the media and the formation of public opinion are dependent on the best interest of the host. In effect, public opinion in the talkback radio format has become a matter of whether one is paying for it or not. As what Turner stated, public opinion instead of being "the creative fiction of a new political order [i.e. democracy]" (7) evolved into becoming a "rhetorical fiction of institutionalized elites" (7). And as vehemently stressed by Turner, this is a bad thing as ideally this media structure exist at enabling active democratic participation. As it is evident that in the talkback radio programs public opinion is manipulated according to what is at stake for the presenter and his advertisers, so to speak. Given this, it shows that the practice "carries effects that are the reverse of democratic" (Turner 7). Rather than supporting democracy, talkback radio's practice denied it. Talkback radio therefore is not important for democracy in Australia. It should have been providing that a great fraction of the people listen to it and is influenced by it. But then it ceased to become an instrument of democracy when it became more of a medium for entertainment. Remember there is difference between providing information just for the sake and broadcasting pertinent issues because it matters. There is also a great distinction between subjective reporting and objective reporting. No matter how we delve into it, talkback radio belongs to the side that leaves so much to be desired, a side that is more worthy of ridicule than commendation. Given all these information, it is correct to conclude that talkback radio's importance is limited to bestowing amusement rather than providing a venue for people to exercise democracy. Works Cited Page Adams, Philip, and Burton, Lee. Talkback: Emperors of Air. Sydney: Allen & Unwin , 1997. Turner, Graeme. "Ethics, Entertainment, and the Tabloid: the case of talkback radio in Australia." Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies. Volume 15.Number 3, 1 (2001): pp. 349-357(9) "Talk Radio." Wikepedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 10 May 2007. 6 May 2007 "2GB." Wikepedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 10 May 2007. 5 April 2007 "2UE." Wikepedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 10 May 2007. 14 April 2007 "Alan Jones." Wikepedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 10 May 2007. 11 May 2007 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Jones_%28radio_broadcaster%29> "John Laws." Wikepedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 10 May 2007. 7 May 2007 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Laws> "Shock Jock." Wikepedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 10 May 2007. 30 April 2007 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_jock> Read More