Image, Text, and Representation in Politics - Essay Example

IMAGE, TEXT AND REPRESENTATION (Name of Student) (Name of School) (Subject) (Date of Submission) Question 1: Reporting Gender and Politics Using the examples in attachment #1 (or two other recent [i.e. 2007] news report if you prefer) discuss how gender is used to frame political issues and politicians. Overall, gender is used equally in framing political issues and discussing politicians in the news report of newspapers The Age and The Daily Telegraph regarding the bid of former journalist Maxine Mckew to dislodge Australian Prime Minister James Howard from his post this coming election. The news reports showed an equal representation of gender in its delivery of information regarding the outlooks of the subjects and other politicians mentioned regarding political race, issues relevant to governance and perception of electorates towards political issues particularly in the area of Bennelong, Australia. There is no apparent sexist representation in the reports provided by the two newspapers in illustrating the views of Maxine Mckew for electoral office as well as the responses from Australian Prime Minister James Howard on the issue of her running for office in his own place of representation. The reports mainly veered away from media stereotypes of women in politics which usually put them as second only to men’s status. Here a woman is represented as a dominant character challenging a political power that happens to be of an opposite gender. In doing so she has earned the support of male politicians who are also domineering figures in the political arena. Veering from stereotyping of women in these reports supports the clamour of feminist group for media to be socially responsible in depicting women away from the stereotypes of victims, mothers and homemakers. Gaye Tuchman describes this as the concept of symbolic annihilation to the traditional way of how media condemn, trivialize and exclude women in political issues and as politicians (Pantti, n.d.). The symbolic image that news reports portray the key role of a woman in challenging man’s political position which is considered powerful draws a significant change in how media traditionally portray women in politics. It further shows the strength of a woman by using the word “audacity” in Mckew’s challenging Prime Minister Howard for his political position. This signifies the prominent role of a woman to have the strength to challenge such political power. However, there was a trace of gender bias in the report of the Daily Telegraph in influencing a segment of the voters to support the bid to dislodge Prime Minister Howard from his political position. It manifest in the report where an interview with insider from Labor Political Party shared views that Maxine Mckew’s running for office will get the votes of educated women opposing the current government’s political stand related to the occupation of Iraq. It showed that gender is represented as an alternative for political change to oppose macho stand on certain political issue like the invasion of Iraq. This was supported by Shelly Savage’s review of Julie Baird’s book Media Tarts where she argued that “women in Australian politics have punched above their weight, gaining additional media attention on the strength of their novelty value and because of the hyper-enthusiastic quest for a woman prime minister” (2005). She further shared that women politicians are considered credible political opponents not because of their gender but due to the fact that they threaten votes away from their political rivals. This factor has been acknowledged by Labor insiders from the news report of The Daily Telegraph. Still the news reports did not show any sign of downplaying the role of women in politics by not showing an image of downgrading the character of Mckew’s as a female political candidate that is traditionally done to female politicians before such as focusing on their looks and clothes than on political issues they spouse. The news reports instead highlighted Mckew’s professional achievements as well as her stand on political issues. This news information actually portrays her as a reliable political figure conscientious of her upcoming role in the political arena. Question 2: Industrial Relations and/or Political Advertising Use the examples shown in attachment #2. Discuss the way in which these two commentaries and news reports cover the controversy over political advertising, in particular the recent changes to the Work Choices legislation. The examples of commentaries and news reports about political advertising delving on the changes of Work Choices Legislation were carried out in a very critical but informative way such that readers are given a background on the issue of political advertising particularly on the cost it incurs for the government and its impact on the impending elections in Australia. The commentaries of Graeme Orr and Joo-Cheong Tham in the newspaper The Age (5 July 2007: page 17) informs the public of the salient points on the changes in the Work Choices Legislation Act and make critical commentaries based on this information such as the inconsistency of the information campaign versus the legitimate status of the changes in the law which is still to be passed in legislature. Thus, it is untimely to announce the supposed to be changes of the content of the Act prior to its actual legislative approval. Thus, it proves why there is controversy regarding political advertising using the Work Choices Legislation Act as a mere excuse to create good media mileage for the government particularly using television as a medium to reach wider range of electorates. Television, after all, is considered to be the favoured medium for political advertisement in Australia since 1990 based from the observation of political scientist Clem Lloyd (Parliamentary Library, 2004) News reports, on the other hand, gives an image of disapproval from rival political parties over the government’s information dissemination on the Work Choices Legislation Act such that it appears to be another critical piece towards the actions of the government over this matter raising the issue of political advertisement. What different roles do commentary and news reporting play in covering issues? Illustrating contrasts on intentions, providing information, suggestive, critical or evaluative and providing alternatives are the different roles that commentary and news reporting play in covering issues as shown by the examples of articles on political advertisement. The role to illustrate contrast in intentions of the government in its information campaign on the changes in Works Legislation is clearly shown by the analytical commentary of Orr and Tham where they analyse the contrasting statements of the Prime Minister on unethical partisan advertisement during election year vis-à-vis the governments campaign on the issue at hand which is being held during election year. Other contrasting intentions illustrate by their commentaries is the fact that any information dissemination for any law should only be done after the law has been officially approve by the overall legislature vis-à-vis the fact that the information being disseminated by the government on changes in Works Legislation Act are still not approved by the legislature. In doing such illustration of contrast in intentions these commentaries as well as news reports provide readers relevant information on assessing the credibility of the intentions of the government as well as the validity of the commentaries given. These commentaries and news reports show critical analysis of the issue in showing these contrasting intentions. How do news values and framing operate in these examples? Discuss with specific reference to the techniques used in these examples including images where relevant. News values operate in these articles by the prominence given by these newspapers to the issue of political advertising pertaining to changes on Workers Legislation Act. The issue itself carries a lot of threshold in terms of impact since the issue has a broader impact to the employment sector of Australia. Also, the advertisement for disseminating the proposed changes in the Workers Legislation Act carries so many thresholds in terms of the amount of money involved in its implementation which questions the financial soundness of such cost vis-à-vis economic performance of the country and other areas of social concern that such amount of money can help. News framing, on the other hand, operates in the sample articles by selecting a salient issue or problem in the intention of the government to disseminate information related to changes in Workers’ Legislation Act which is political advertisement. The issue specifically frame the problem of higher cost and partisan advertising. Thus, the ideology of unpartisan advertising and cost efficiency in handling government finance is highlighted and transmitted through the news as what Akhavan-Majid and Ramaprasad (1998) illustrate in their paper Framing and Ideology. Question 3a. Advertising Controversies Controversies around particular advertisements arise every year. In 2007 a series of Dolce and Gabbana ads provoked an outcry in Italy and Spain. Ads that contain sexualized imagery that are aimed at, or feature children are particularly controversial. Recently, too, there have been debates over whether ads for ‘junk’ food should be banned during children’s television programs. Discuss one recent advertising controversy with reference to example. Advertising controversy stated in the news clipping from the column of Lucyhood for the Advertiser (16 May 2007) shows fashion mishap between two television personalities wearing the same brand and design of clothes on the same day. Such fiasco in fashion is considered controversial particularly among television personalities. Such controversies are created mainly on women since fashion are directly attached to them particularly on how they individually dressed in front of the public which carries part of their credibility. This practice of easily targeting women as easy prey to make controversial comments or comparisons particularly on how they look is again a matter of news framing which is focused on certain area, in this case fashion, to create controversy and diminished certain aspects of their profession and personality which is considered more important if it is to be taken in a more broader concept. Thus, the controversy on the identical dress of these two television personalities will become irrelevant if the news highlight their abilities to handle their respective television programs instead of ridiculing them for their dresses. Advertising controversies, however, sometimes create a media mileage for persons involved in the controversy. Thus, it creates more opportunities for wide base popularity. This is particularly important for personalities trying to create wider media coverage to make themselves known. In some instance, however, advertising controversies are dealt with legal response to quell further attempt to controversial issues pertaining to certain groups or persons. In reporting advertising controversies sometimes media tries to put malice to certain actions of personalities just to create an issue out of nothing. This approach influences the way reader interprets or see the situation. Thus, audience gives unnecessary comments or opinions based on presentations of controversial advertising resulting to series of follow-up controversial commentaries or reports that make the controversy more controversial, so to speak. Half truths and untruths are added to the original story that the public sometimes believe. On a related issue, advertising controversy can also relate to issues of morality which “has always been the forefront of fashion controversy” (Bryant, n.d.). Thus, morality imposes the norm that one should follow when it comes to fashion. The public and controversial thinking media extend this concept of ‘fashion morality” to distinctness in a celebrity figure’s fashion identity which is the contrast of what the article illustrates that is featured in The Advertiser showed. The issue was made glaring given the high profile personalities involved, thus, it illicit interest among the public. Public interest in controversial advertising encourages this type of reporting that even gives rise to an area of news reporting called tabloidization. This phenomenon in news reporting mainly targets celebrities who are recognized for their news value, hence every minute movement they make are made into advertising controversies. Tabloid is defined as a form of press that “publishes sensational information about the private life of prominent people” (Malovic & Vilovic, n.d.). Tabloid publishers profit from such manner of reporting that nowadays merit legal actions particularly on the grounds of intrusion to privacy and accuracy. It is a clear form of advertising controversy that deals mostly on the mundane to shocking aspects of the news that seems to attract the attention of the public. Tabloidization puts in question journalism ethics and standards in terms of objectivity and accuracy of facts showed in news reporting. The creation of hype in the news content and its characterization of its subjects are considered incongruent to ethical standards of news reporting basically due to its show of sensationalism and bias in showing the not desirable aspect on the lives of the persons featured in tabloids. REFERENCES 1. Akhavan-Maji, R. and Ramaprasad, J. (1998), Framing and Ideology: A Comparative Analysis of U.S. and Chinese Newspaper Coverage of the Fourth United Nations 2. Bryant, M (n.d.), Revealing Fashion, The University of Texas Austin, Retrieved June 7, 2007, from http://www.utexas.edu/features/archive/2004/fashion.html 3. Dunlevy, S. (2007, February 26). TV Star V PM: Mckew to Run for Howard’s Seat, The Daily Telegraph, pp.1-2. 4. Hartcher, P. (2007, May 19), Political Ads An Abuse: Rudd, The Ages, pp. 5. 5. Lucyhood, (2007), One Dresses on Two Stations, A Premier in Purple Boots- A day of Fashion Stuff Ups. Fashion Editor 6. Martin, P. (2007, May 23). Workplace Ads Costing $585,000 a Day, The Canberra Times, pp.3 7. Mlovic, S. and Vilovic, G (n.d.), Tabloidization Conquers Quality Press, The European University Viadrina, Retrieved June 7, 2007, from http://soemz.euv-frankfurt-o.de/media-see/qpress/articles/pdf/smalovic_gvilovic.pdf 8. Orr, G. and Tham, J.C., (2007, May 17), Turning Taxes into Spin, The Ages, pp. 17. 9. Pantti, M. (n.d), Portraying Politics: A Toolkit on Gender and Television, Retrieved June 7, 2007, from http://www.portrayingpolitics.org/research.php#11 10. Parliamentary Library (2004), Research Brief: Political Advertising in Australia, Australia, Retrieved June 7, 2007, from http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/pubs/rb/2004-05/05rb05.pdf 11. Peng, W (n.d.), A Textual Analysis of the News Framing of the April 1st Military Airplane Collision by People’s Daily and New York Times, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California, Retrieved June 7, 2007, from http://www.hicsocial.org/Social2003Proceedings/Wei%20Peng%202.pdf 12. Savage, S (2005), Women in Politics: Destroyed by the Media or Slowly Changing the Status Quo?, Australian Review of Public Affairs, Retrieved June 7, 2007, from http://www.australianreview.net/digest/2005/03/savage.html 13. Schuber, M. and Jackson, A. (2007, May 19), Unpopular Work Choices Dump “Brand” dumped in Ads, The Ages, pp. 5 14. Skelton, R. (2007, Mckew Taking It to the Max, The Ages, pp. 5 Read More