University journalism courses need to teach about cultural safety before students enter the workforce

• Main Authors: Thomson, T.J., Mclaughlin, Juliana, King-Smith, Leah
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: The Conversation Media Group Ltd 2022
• Subjects: journalism education; journalism; Indigenous knowledges; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians; IARE; First Nations
• Online Access: https://eprints.qut.edu.au/238292/

The ABC recently apologised to staff for racism and cultural insensitivity in its newsrooms. This came after Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse ABC staff told an internal group they felt unwelcome in their workplace, their ideas were not being listened to and they received online abuse from the public. Unfortunately these issues are not unique to the ABC and exist at other media outlets and newsrooms. We also know media organisations can produce content that is racist or hostile towards First Nations people. Decades of research show, with few exceptions, many mainstream Australian media organisations have unfairly reported on First Nations Peoples over the years, and continue to do so. This reporting has included racist cartoons, prejudiced stereotypes, questions of cultural identity and portrayals of First Nations people as either violent or victimised. Racist and inappropriate portrayals of First Nations people can also make newsrooms and other media outlets unsafe places to work for Indigenous journalists, as well as influencing how First Nations issues are covered and thought about. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Australians working in media can improve their cultural competency during their university education. This way, they can enter and contribute to workplaces prepared to ethically and respectfully interact with and report on stories outside their own cultures. However, our new study shows many Australian universities with journalism programs have significant work to do in including cultural safety in their curricula.