Who is going to stand?

by Rebecca Poole, Brisbane, Australia

The media in the right hands with the right intention is such an amazing strength within a society: whilst the Finkelstein Inquiry reported that the public have a general mistrust in the media, organisations like the ABC and some reputable online platforms are still trusted and have integrity in the public eye.

Most people in Australia have never seen, experienced or felt the level of corruption that exists in some countries around the world. It is concerning that we are now seeing a high level of corruption in the Media: deliberate attempts to create stories through misrepresentation, disinformation and ‘ambush’ style stunts, as well as the publication of sensationalist stories with no intent to present a fair and balanced picture. What is even MORE concerning though, is that we, as a society, accept it as the norm.

Is our apathy going to be the end of us?

We are accepting as commonplace that the media are not about TRUTH but the generation of ratings and profit. This we accept as part of life. Last week I saw a bumper sticker on a car saying “Is it the TRUTH or was it printed in the Courier Mail?”. This is not a few people from Universal Medicine complaining about the lack of integrity in the Media – this is every single person, including people within the media industry, knowing that there is no substantial and consistent integrity . . . but just resignation to the fact that this is how the world is.

Who is going to ask for change?
Who is going to show that there is another way?
Who is going to stand for a society and way of life that we can all be proud of?