ഓസ്ട്രേലിയയെക്കുറിച്ച് കൂടുതലറിയാന്
ഓസ്ട്രേലിയന് വഴികാട്ടി
ഓസ്ട്രേലിയയില് നിന്നുള്ള വാര്ത്തകളും, ഓസ്ട്രേലിയന് മലയാളികളുടെ വിശേഷങ്ങളും കേള്ക്കാനായി എസ് ബി എസ് മലയാളം പോഡ്കാസ്റ്റുകള് പിന്തുടരുക.
ഓസ്ട്രേലിയന് കുടിയേറ്റജീവിതത്തില് അറിഞ്ഞിരിക്കേണ്ട നിയമങ്ങളും ജീവിതരീതികളുമെല്ലാം മനസിലാക്കാന് ഞങ്ങളുടെ ഓസ്ട്രേലിയന് വഴികാട്ടി പോഡ്കാസ്റ്റും പിന്തുടരാം
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Read this story in English:
Australia has several media outlets, including privately owned commercial media and sponsored community networks.
The country also funds two public service broadcasters through tax revenue: the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS).
Community radio stations are another type of media that broadcast locally. These services are operated by not-for-profit organisations and are provided free of charge to the public.
Private mainstream media produces content for profit and ratings. It answers its commercial sponsors and their interests. In contrast, public broadcasters are accountable to the community that funds it.
What is public media?
Public media outlets are a public service. They are mandated to inform society accurately, so their news services should be balanced, trustworthy and editorially independent.
Kristian Porter is the CEO of the Public Media Alliance, the largest global association of public media outlets—the alliance advocates for the core values of public media and journalism.
He says public broadcasters are mandated to inform the public accurately and should be free from government or overt commercial interference.
Ideally, they should be regulated by some sort of independent regulator and provide impartial news and quality content that informs, educates, and entertains society.
"Public media should also be a reliable source of information in times of emergencies or in crises, and a reliable counter to misinformation and disinformation. They should be universally available, reach diverse audiences, and ultimately inform democracy, particularly at times of election," Mr Porter explains.
Wendy Bacon is an investigative journalist, political activist, and academic. For two decades, she taught journalism at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
She says public media provides a platform for various voices and programming styles that reflect the diverse needs and perspectives of the wider community.
White megaphone with copy space Source: Moment RF / Emilija Manevska/Getty Images
"The purpose of that media is to be a voice for whichever government is in control of their society, an arm of government. Now, that's very different from the idea of independent broadcasting, where funding can come from the public, but in some way it's as a grant to media which is able to make judgements about what has news value, what serves a community in terms of information," she says.
Public media is a pillar of democracy, encouraging public debate and scrutiny.
This does not mean Australian public broadcasters are exempt from withstanding external pressures.
Gavin Fang, Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Editorial Director, explains.
“Any big public institution like the ABC, always being put under pressure to engage with people in a non-independent way or in a way that includes influences. And so, it's critical that we maintain our independence in service of the audience, and that means putting their interests first in all of the things that we do and not being influenced by external influences, by conflicts, etc. That would mean that we would not have their interests first and not maintain that independence. And that's really critical to us.”
The SBS and ABC logos. Credit: Credit: Getty/SPmmory
The role of the ABC and SBS in Australia
Both public broadcasters are directed by their individual charters, editorial policies, and codes of practice, which mandate that their content be fair and balanced.
The ABC is larger, with dozens of regional and international bureaus, offices, and studios in all Australian capital cities.
It has radio stations and TV channels to cater to different audiences and interests. Dedicated TV channels for news and children's content are among them.
The ABC also keeps communities informed during emergencies. It educates the public on preparedness, broadcasts warnings and updates during the crisis, and informs on the recovery efforts.
“Emergency broadcasting is a really significant part of what we do, and it's becoming and has become more significant. More and more with these various different climate disasters and other emergencies, Australians need to be able to turn to reliable sources of information when an emergency is unfolding and it's becoming incredibly critical for the ABC," Gavin Fang explains.
The SBS is Australia's multicultural and multilingual national public broadcaster. Its television channels include international programming and news services in English and numerous other languages.
The SBS offers people from non-English-speaking backgrounds access to information and entertainment from their home countries.
SBS houses NITV, Australia's National Indigenous Television, which showcases content from a First Nations perspective.
David Hua is the Director of SBS's Audio Language Content. He oversees SBS Audio, which broadcasts programs in more than 60 languages.
He says that SBS was set up very distinctively to service multicultural and multilingual Australians.
"It is very much targeted to audiences in Australia who speak different languages, and their needs are very broad. The service is designed to help people understand as much as possible about Australia, the way in which things work including our government, our bureaucracy, our school system, our emergency systems and the like, so that people are off to the best possible start," David Hua explains.
Community radio stations
There are approximately 450 community radio services in Australia. Community radio services are not-for-profit and are run by local organisations. These include language, faith-based, music, or LGBTQIA+ communities which might not be served by mainstream media.
Copies of The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, published by Fairfax Media Ltd., left, are displayed at a newsagent's shop in Sydney, Australia, on Thursday, July 26, 2018. Credit: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Commercial media in Australia
Commercial outlets are also necessary to guarantee media diversity in democratic countries.
Cassie Derrick is the Director of the Media, Entertainment, and Arts Alliance Media Section. The MEAA is Australia's largest union representing public and commercial media journalists. She says these outlets add value to public discourse.
"The role of commercial media is also really critical, in that it can either be more niche or at least provide a different perspective, and I think that it's really crucial that people who are in Australia have access to as many different perspectives and as many different approaches to telling stories as possible," Cassie Derrick explains.
Professor Wendy Bacon has worked as a journalist in public and commercial outlets.
She says that although some commercial media sections do an outstanding public interest journalism, most of their content is designed to attract large audiences and raise revenue through advertising.
"The whole purpose of that media is to make as much money as possible. Now, that means that the advertisers will only advertise if they feel the content is drawing people towards the program, so they will see the advertisement. It's not a direct relationship, although it can be. We have two very big companies, the biggest being owned by Rupert Murdoch, News Corporation. They have newspapers, they have influence in radio, influence in television..."
Credit: SBS Media
Public Media Alliance CEO Kristian Porter says the drawback of private ownership is that some outlets may be editorially skewed.
"Often commercial outlets will be beholden in their editorial values to their owners. And often their owners can help decide what approach reporters will take to certain news topics. In some countries the commercial press is largely seen to be right wing supporting. So, in terms of the Murdoch press, I think we can safely say that's often the case in the UK in Australia for example, that their outlets will be supporting more conservative governments," Kristian Porter adds.
Mr Porter says media diversity is crucial to ensure a multitude of perspectives.
“One thing that can be quite dangerous is when there is ownership of many media organisations by one owner. And when there is a monopoly, the thing to consider is what would your media landscape look like without a public broadcaster? What would the news look like? Would it be skewed to a certain viewpoint? Rather than there being an organisation like the ABC and SBS available to offer that impartial, trusted voice on behalf of the public? And that’s always the question to ask.”
This episode was originally published in 2022 and has been updated in 2025
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