Speech

ACHIEVING THE BALANCE

LAUNCH OF THE RESOURCE KIT FOR MEDIA PROFESSIONALS FOR THE REPORTING AND PORTRAYAL OF SUICIDE AND MENTAL ILLNESSES

CANBERRA, 22 JUNE 1999

Distinguished guests, parliamentary colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. I thank Dr Wooldridge for his invitation to speak at today’s launch. As Minister for Youth Affairs, I too am deeply concerned about the emotional and mental health and well being of young Australians, and with the role of the media in its portrayal of young people. I have found from research undertaken by my own Department, from feedback from young Australians and from the Government’s youth advisory body the National Youth Roundtable, the two are closely linked in ways that have a pervasive influence in shaping young people’s self image and their view of the world.

In the course of this research, conducted in August 1998, I found that over half of the Australians surveyed said that media stories about young people, recalled over a 12 month period, were negative. About half of those surveyed believed that media coverage of young people treated them unfairly.

The topics about young people which most respondents recalled seeing, reading or hearing were all negative – to do with drugs, violence, alcohol abuse, crime, unemployment, and of course, youth suicide. Only 11 per cent could remember stories that portrayed young people in a positive light.

Analysis of actual media reportage supported this view, with only 23 per cent of the stories about young people, taken overall, being positive.

When I speak with young people themselves, I hear about their concerns at being depicted as problematic, irresponsible, victims, lazy or violent. We know that the media play a key role in shaping community attitudes towards young people. We know that in their formative years, young people are building an identity for themselves and of their peers that is heavily influenced by what they see and hear in the media. We know that in an intelligent and educated society, we can do much better in our public portrayal of young Australians.

As I believe that this issue is so integral to the self-confidence and self-belief of young Australians, I asked the National Youth Roundtable Members earlier this year for their responses to the question: What should be done to promote a more positive image of young people through the media? Their responses were quite instructive and worthy of the consideration of all of us with an interest in addressing this question. The National Youth Roundtable suggested the development of youth media as a legitimate sector of the media industry, actively involving young people in this process. They want to see more entry-level positions for young people in the media, both the public face and behind the scenes, and want more acknowledgment of the varied and diverse achievements of young people. A very telling suggestion put forward by the National Youth Roundtable, relevant to our launch today, is that media training courses should include topics on how young people feel about their portrayal by the media and include interaction with young people as part of the curricula.

Most young people get through the normal challenges of growing up successfully. They are well educated, healthy and law-abiding. All young Australians have something to offer, and they are achieving in a very positive way in so many aspects of their lives. When we see media reportage of young people moving away from understanding and concern towards a kind of "doom and gloom" sensationalism, then something needs to be done to correct the balance.

This doesn’t mean turning a blind eye to serious issues such as youth suicide or mental health. Rather, what we need to encourage is the full story, the hope and the determination of young people to make their lives meaningful and rewarding. We need to celebrate and congratulate those young people who have overcome personal challenges, as well as directing those in need to sources of good advice and assistance. In other words, to seek preventative strategies that are about hope and good will.

In May this year, I was particularly proud to present the National Youth Media Awards. The first time such awards have been made at the national level. Nominations for excellence in the media portrayal of young people were called from all media across Australia. Journalists were able to nominate their own work, and the general public was invited to nominate stories that inspired a sense of pride in the positive contribution young people are making in society.

The response was outstanding. Close on 900 nominations came forward. The media, including some of Australia’s most respected media practitioners, contributed in an extremely generous way to publicise the Awards and participate in the judging of entries. The Awards also struck a chord with the public. At least half of the nominations came from them in the Popular Choice category.

It was encouraging to see such a generous and whole-hearted response to the Government’s call for a better media deal for young people. Our hope is that the Awards, over time, will encourage the media to look at the full range of stories about young people and report in fair proportion the news about their achievements in many spheres of endeavour.

In their first year, the Awards have showcased some truly wonderful examples of how highly-skilled journalists – some of them young journalists at that – move beyond the stereotypes to uncover the wealth of experience that is young Australia. Stories, for example, that showed how young people were making the most of their lives in rural and remote Australia, stories that showed personal strength and ambition in spite of disability or disadvantage, and stories that showed the depth of young people’s concern for others in their community.

I am looking forward to watching these Awards grow over time, and for the underlying message of the Awards to filter back through the media itself – that responsible, balanced and innovative journalism, the hallmarks of excellence, are as applicable in the reporting of youth issues as anywhere else.

Today, in the context of better media reporting about the issue of youth suicide and mental health, the same principles apply. We need to look at the issues in terms of understanding the underlying causes, encouraging the development of individual life skills, and building a sense of common responsibility for the safety of young people. If we are serious about reducing the rates of youth suicide and educating the community about mental health, we cannot ignore the importance of the media in getting the issue in perspective, and avoiding sensationalism of these issues. We also want the media to play a key role in explaining where to turn when things go wrong in young people’s lives.

I would like to say from my own experience with the Youth Media Awards, that sometimes all that is necessary is for us to put out the challenge. There is more than enough good will and support in the media to get ample help in achieving these important social goals.

I commend the work of Dr Wooldridge in finding ways to encourage the media to treat the issue of youth suicide and mental health sensitively, responsibly and in ways that provide signposts to help and advice for those at risk. I would like to offer him every assistance possible in making this work. I congratulate all those who have contributed to the development of the resource kits and want to give my own thanks to the media for the support and advice they have again provided so generously.

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