Volume 2, Issue 2: 2008
Editorial
Welcome to the third issue of Global Media Journal/Australian Edition. We continue to publish a range of research in communications and media where scholarship continues to engage with concerns of national and international importance. In the refereed part of this issue, we publish one article whose focus is international and two papers whose interests lie primarily within Australia.
In his article arguing for stronger United Nations media image promotion, David Sklar argues for a systematic remake of the UN’s public image. In Australia, we were exposed to a significant scandal in the Australian Wheat Board’s relationship to the UN’s Oil-for-Food Programme. In this regard, Sklar’s argument makes sense given the role the UN still plays in the world’s trouble spots. Sklar argues that “more systematic and rapid responses to criticism may be of value” and that “… reserving an hour of primetime radio and television airspace for an annual message from the Secretary-General to the peoples of the world could be one method by which the organisation could increase control of its public image.” Sklar is based in one of the most conflicted areas of the region.
Esther Stockwell, in her paper titled Source Credibility and Attitude Change in Readers of Foreign News, examines the impact of the news with the credibility of sources taken into account. Stockwell is keen to look beyond the research that suggests people are more motivated to think about the information provided by a high credibility source or expert. In a key differentiation to many researchers who approach this subject, Stockwell insists that “… the relationship between newspaper credibility and attitude is not linear …” and renders a more complex model for how to evaluate the impact of high credible/low credible sources. In the study, another innovation was introduced in that a non-controversial topic was chosen for use in the research. The inquiry goes beyond the content to look at the larger context of influences that mitigate the credibility of a newspaper.
Roumen Dimitrov has written Acting Strategically: Skilled Communication by Australian Refugee Advocacy Groups to discuss the major strategies and tactics of five refugee advocacy organisations in Australia: the Refugee Council of Australia (RCA), Australian Refugee Rights Alliance (ARRA), A Just Australia (AJA), Rural Australia for Refugees (RAR) and Children out of Detention (ChilOut). Dimitrov discusses and researches the ‘third sector’ and in this paper does well to highlight the achievements of those with whom he has worked. Key concepts such as communication capital are adapted from experts in the field whose work is assimilated by disadvantaged groups and used to their advantage. Dimitrov concludes that advocacy groups — even small ones — can act strategically and sustain information credibility.
Our non-refereed section includes an extended illustrated interview with Alexandra Halkin conducted by Verena Thomas. Alexandra Halkin has been producing documentaries for the last 25 years. In 1995, she developed the Chiapas Media Project (CMP) which has grown into a vibrant independent community (Zapatista) media organisation. Verena Thomas is a filmmaker currently setting up video production workshops in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. We also inaugurate our postgraduate section with an article by Faheem Hussain, Quest for a Sustainable Community Radio Broadcasting in Nepal: Practices, Prospects and Problems. Faheem is a graduate of the Department of Engineering and Public Policy of Carnegie Mellon University, and currently is a member of the teaching faculty at Carnegie Mellon University’s Qatar Campus. His article critically examines the issue of “sustainability” in Nepalese community radio broadcasting. Faheem examines five stations to cover the major types of community radio management in Nepal and offers recommendations for a sustainable community radio presence in Nepal.
We also include Heather Anderson’s Engaging the Civil Dead: Citizens’ Media and Prisoners. Heather Anderson wants to test the value claimed by community media that espouses participation by a wide variety of groups. Her case study looks at prisoners in both international and national contexts and focuses on the medium of radio. Her challenge is to media theory and practice (inclusive of community media) that access to media bypasses the more marginalised people in an urban setting.
We round out the issue with our usual monitoring of Australian Communication Policy news courtesy of Dr. Tim Dwyer and a substantial book review section ably edited by Dr. Antonio Castillo.
My thanks to the authors and book reviewers plus all those who refereed this issue’s papers. Special thanks to Rachel Morley for her excellent administrative assistance, to Myra Gurney for sub editing, to Roman Goik for web mastering and online management and to the School of Communication Arts for its support. We aim to publish two issues in 2009 and I would like to draw your attention to the CFP for the upcoming issue on mobile communication to be guest-edited by Dr. Colette Snowdon.
We invite feedback to this issue to be forwarded to Associate Professor Hart Cohen (h.cohen@uws.edu.au) or Rachel Morley (r.morley@uws.edu.au).
Hart Cohen
For the Editorial Committee
