The nation’s peak body representing First Nations media organisations has proposed the creation of a 'Black Media Watch' unit, saying it could play a critical role in holding media outlets to account for racist and stereotypical coverage of Indigenous people.
The recommendation was made by First Nations Media Australia (FNMA), who represent community controlled Indigenous media across Australia including four-member television stations, 29 radio stations and 120 remote indigenous broadcasting services.
The proposal is contained in one of the hundreds of submissions made to the ongoing parliamentary inquiry into racism and hate experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
In calling for a ‘Black Media Watch’ unit, FNMA described it as a ‘potential game changer’ in terms of racism as propagated through mass and social media channels.
“A First Nations Media Watch Unit would give anti-racism strategies institutional teeth - transforming individual complaints into a systemic, documented, public record of accountability,” they wrote.
In addition to establishing the unit, FNMA called on the federal government to fund and sustain a suite of targeted initiatives delivered through, and in support of, First Nations media.
These included truth-telling programs, online safety education, anti-racism public awareness campaigns and stronger laws prohibiting hate speech.
A space for the counter-narratives
FNMA said a Black media watch unit could monitor coverage across commercial television, radio, print, online news and podcasts using a consistent, First Nations-designed framework to identify racist, deficit-based or stereotypical reporting.
The organisation said the unit could respond rapidly to harmful coverage by issuing public statements before news cycles move on.
“The practice of calling out institutions that are persistently white-dominated or engage in racist reporting is already growing - a formal unit would systematise and amplify this,” the submission states.
FNMA also proposed the publication of regular scorecards assessing media outlets, programs and journalists on their representation of First Nations people.
It said the reports would provide advertisers, audiences and editors with clear accountability measures and help drive improvements across the industry.
The submission further argued that the unit could support community members to navigate complaints processes through bodies such as the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the Australian Press Council and the courts, which it said can be difficult for First Nations people to access.
Countering Indigenous issues as ‘clickbait’
FNMA noted that First Nations-owned and operated media tools - including radio, television, digital platforms, and community outlets - represent one of the most important and under-utilised tools for countering racism in Australia.
“Unlike mainstream media, which often perpetuates deficit narratives, First Nations media is produced by and for communities, with deep cultural knowledge and accountability,” FNMA said.
“It has the credibility, reach, and trust necessary to shift both First Nations and non-Indigenous audiences.
“Investment in this space is not simply cultural support - it is an investment in the infrastructure of racial justice."
In outlining a series of practical solutions to counter racism centred on First Nations media, the submission also outlined the roots of this racism and the mechanisms through which it is amplified.
“Racism against First Nations Australians is alive and well in Australia. It is not a relic of the past - it is embedded in institutions, amplified by the media and other discourses, and perpetuated across generations.”
“First Nations media is not a peripheral concern - it is a central mechanism for the cultural and institutional change that justice requires.
"Government has both the responsibility and the opportunity to act,” FNMA concluded.
The senate inquiry into racism, hate and violence against First Peoples is currently being conducted by the Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs.
It is examining the prevalence, impacts and drivers of racism, hate and violence, towards First Nations people as well as existing responses and opportunities for reform.
Evidence gathered during the hearings will inform the Committee’s final report to Parliament in September.
The inquiry will hold a Public Hearing in Canberra on Thursday with other hearings earmarked for Perth, Darwin, Alice Springs, Melbourne, Brisbane, Cairns and the Torres Strait (in July) and Hobart (August).
Government departments, including the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) will join Reconciliation Australia in Canberra to give evidence to the inquiry this week.
Catch up on The Point’s episodes on Racism: The Ugly Side Of Australia and Racism is the New Black on SBS On Demand.
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