S3 E2: Social Cohesion and the Media with Guests Jon Faine and Misha Ketchell

How does media impact social cohesion – does it undermine it?

The second podcast of Season 3 looks at the topical issue of media in all forms and the potential impact on social cohesion. SFRI CEO Anthea Hancocks is joined by renowned ABC journalist Jon Faine AM, and Editor of The Conversation Misha Ketchell, to unpack how the media landscape has changed with the rise of social media and what the media’s responsibilities are in the context of social cohesion.

Through the lens’ of two of Australia’s most respected journalists, we discuss how individual thought is being impacted by the domination of social media and the potential flow on effects for the creation of a cohesive society.

Key take aways: 

  1. Does the media have a social responsibility?

There was broad agreement between Jon and Misha that with the license to broadcast comes obligations and a level of responsibility. According to Misha, the media should ideally foster a sense of community by bringing people together - it should not represent sectional interests. Jon added that different parts of the media have different levels of responsibility. However, there was also the view that those responsibilities were not necessarily being met.

Jon and Misha agreed that with the fragmentation of media where competition is fierce, journalists are turning to attention grabbing headlines and ‘shock’ stories to achieve cut through. Jon recounted a pointed example where a journalist manipulated a situation in order to get a headline, reflecting the current focus of the commercial media outlets.

Anthea highlighted the machine led control over social media and the challenges that poses for being able to influence the stories being seen. As Misha put it, algorithms will drive engagement at any cost. Jon asserted that unlike TV, radio and print, the lack of strict regulation of social media also means there is little accountability for the distribution of accurate and balanced information on the platforms.

 

  1. The loss of balanced views

Jon explained that in his view the current media landscape has led to little counterbalance in journalism. He believes this is partly being driven by the commercial media institutions who aim to ‘create’ the story to meet their objectives. Jon referred to the idea of ‘poking the ant’s nest’ and agitating for a story. While the private and public forms of media have different values, start and end points Jon believes this would be futile to try and change. The importance of strong leadership and quality storytelling in overcoming this challenge was discussed. 

Misha shared this view and discussed how the incentive structures for commercial media don’t necessarily promote the right kind of media ecosystem for a cohesive society. Instead, ‘if it bleeds, it leads’ which isn’t always in alignment with the broader social good. As Misha stated, the things that attract attention are not what we need as a society.

According to Jon, one of the consequences of commercial media prevailing is that the views and opinions of Australian people become homogenised. He raised concerns about the dilution of the Australian character.

 

  1. The importance of media literacy

Anthea queried the media literacy of the next generation who are receiving countless pieces of information on different platforms each day. Having the ability to ask critical questions and understand what is reliable and meaningful is an essential part of a successful experience with the media.

Jon was clear that people are vulnerable to the media as they become less educated and less informed. This makes them more prone to disinformation. Misha asserted that a large part of the responsibility should sit with the social media platforms who are acting as publishers but without the same kind of responsibility. He doesn’t believe young people are unable to sort through misinformation and disinformation when they’re being fed things at a fast past it's very hard to decipher what is real.

 

  1. The media and social cohesion

Anthea discussed the importance of having a positive vision of the future with an understanding of roles and relationships to facilitate social cohesion. She queried whether the vehicles and opportunities for people to imagine what it might look like have been diminished.

Misha said as the media landscape increased in competitiveness that some of the public thought has been drained away. The media is now skewed more towards the ‘gotchas’ and scandals and nuanced conversations are difficult to engage in. What would be in the interest of the greater good isn’t always aligned with virality. Jon stated the sense of community had been taken away with journalists trained to focus on individualism in order to ‘hook’ the audience.

Jon referred to the link between polarised and unequal communities and people feeling disconnected – particularly young people. He believes that until we address the inequality issues in our society then the cycle will continue. People need to be included in the conversation to be engaged to create a sense of community. Anthea queried whether there’s a role for the media to play in putting pressure on decision makers to help address these issues.   

 

  1. The power of positive storytelling

The approach to overcoming the challenges is multifaceted according to Jon and Misha, but leadership from Government and education is key. Helping people understand how the Australian character is changing, improving media literacy and introducing social media regulation would be positive steps.

There was strong agreement that quality storytelling would help to change the tide of shock stories. There is a clear appetite for positive news stories amongst the Australian people and Jon maintains that we just need to listen to the people and what they want. The stories need to be told in the right way and supported by strong leadership from key media entities such as the ABC and The Conversation.

Jon also believes that a root cause of the problem is the lack of equality. The more unequal we become, the harder it is to come together to solve the problem. Jon and Misha agreed there is a clear role for politicians in pushing for change, though the current focus on the short-term electoral cycle poses a barrier.

To hear more from acclaimed journalists Jon Faine AM and Misha Ketchell on the impact of social media on social cohesion, tune in to our podcast here.

Or click on the video below!