Making Messages Matter: Media Training Masterclass

By Alex Kelly, Jinghua Qian

Contents

Introduction

Alex Kelly and Jinghua Qian from the Economic Media centre share insights into the media landscape in Australia and the unique challenges this poses to movements working for economic and social justice, as well as practical tips and planning tools for engaging media.

This workshop was presented at FWD+Organise 2024, a conference hosted by Australian Progress in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia.

The State of Media in Australia: Challenges, Strategies, and Opportunities

Australia’s media landscape is undergoing significant changes, marked by a shrinking workforce and growing concentration of power.

Over the past 15 years, journalism jobs have halved, leaving fewer, less-specialised journalists covering more beats with less time. This, coupled with a lack of departmental fact-checking and editors, makes effective communication from spokespeople and organisations more crucial than ever.

Meanwhile, the Australian media landscape is the third most concentrated globally, following China and Egypt. These changes are occurring in an industry where 96% of Australians engage with media and 20% rely on social media as their main source for news. Notably, implicit biases and lack of diversity persist, with fewer than 9% of journalists identifying as non-white, compounding issues of racism and lack of representation.

A Shifting Media Landscape

The concentration of media power in Australia gives media organisations outsized influence over public opinion and policy. This dynamic is further shaped by economic pressures, where analytics and engagement metrics heavily inform editorial decisions, rather than neutrality or investigative depth.

Economic news, often presented as objective, reflects corporate interests, highlighting the unique lobbying power of the media industry.

Challenges of Media Communication

For organisations and individuals attempting to navigate this challenging landscape, the goals and approaches to communication must be clear and strategic.

Some key strategies include:

Defining Communication Goals
Whether aiming to raise awareness, influence decision-makers, or rally public support, the purpose of media engagement must guide messaging.
Targeting Specific Audiences
Identifying and focusing on specific audience groups enhances the impact of messaging. A clear understanding of the audience’s biases and predispositions is crucial. Having a specific audience will in mind will help your message cut through more easily.
Framing Issues Effectively
Media frames dominate public discourse, with repeated messaging reinforcing certain narratives or clichés, such as “welfare bludgers” or “NDIS fraud.” To counter dominant frames, messages should focus on vision, barriers, and actions:
- Vision: Articulate the end goal or value of the campaign.
- Barrier: Identify the systemic issue, moving away from victim-blaming narratives.
- Action: Propose actionable solutions or steps to address the problem.

Insights from Media Theory

Media messages interact with existing public biases, which means communication efforts must account for pre-existing stereotypes and frames. The process of framing involves not only defining one’s own message but also anticipating and countering opponents’ frames.

For instance, narratives of corporate greed or systemic racism may resonate better than framing issues as isolated or individual failures.

Challenges for Communicators

Engaging with media comes with emotional and logistical challenges, especially for advocates and organisers:

Managing Messaging Grief
The need to condense complex issues into digestible soundbites can feel reductive and frustrating for campaigners.
Digital Safety
Before engaging with media, communicators must establish boundaries, assess their digital footprint, and protect vulnerable individuals within their movements.

Building Resilient Messaging

By structuring clear, impactful key messages, organisations can better navigate the complexities of Australia’s media environment. This involves understanding audience dynamics, crafting persuasive narratives, and adapting strategies to a rapidly evolving media ecosystem.