MECM20006 Understanding Australian Media, Semester 1, 2015

Assignment two: Research Essay

2000 words !50%!
Due Tuesday, 9 June, 5pm.
All essays should conform to general academic standards of presentation
spelling, syntax, paragraphs, introduction, main body, conclusion, and references.
The title as set should appear on the first page, all pages numbered, and
importantly your essay should be properly referenced throughout and must
include a full list of references. Your essay should be typed/word-processed (1.5 or
double-spaced lines). Remember to answer the question as set; dont simply
offload everything you may happen to know about the topic in hand! Obviously in
answering your chosen essay question you should draw on subject themes,
studies, theories, concepts and debates where relevant as well as possible other
sources when useful to do so.
Note: Your research essay should not substantially repeat material you have
already presented in your media industry analysis, in-class presentations, or other
essays. While some overlaps are acceptable, you should ensure that these are not
too great, or you risk being penalised.
Topics (choose one of the following topics):
1. The Australian media increasingly understands its audiences as consumers
and customers rather than as citizens. Discuss this statement, providing
your own examples.
2. The biggest crisis facing Australian newspapers is the growing competition
from online sources of news and information. Discuss this statement,
providing your own examples.
3. Assess the strategies that commercial television broadcasters in Australia
have developed in response to a changing media landscape. Have these
been successful; and how might commercial television continue to appeal to
Australian audiences?
4. What democratic hopes have been vested in online media, and have those
hopes been realised?
5. What is the role of public service broadcasters in Australia in the 21st
century and in what ways has that role changed?
6. What is media convergence and how is it impacting on the Australian
media? Discuss, providing your own examples.
7. Is the fourth estate model of journalism still viable?
8. How are digital technologies changing the nature of journalism in
Australia? Is this leading to better or worse journalism?

9. Should the issue of concentration of ownership in Australian media be a

matter for public concern? If so, why? If not, why not?
10. Self-regulation is an effective form of regulation and has for the most part
worked well so far. Discuss this statement with reference to a particular
media sector.
11. Interactive digital media forces us to reconsider traditional public sphere
and fourth estate models of the media. Discuss this statement with
reference to examples to support your argument.
12. Have new forms of media convergence outstripped the existing media
policy framework? If so, how, and what steps should policy-makers take to
address this situation?
13. Media convergence isnt simply about digital media being added to the
existing media mix. It involves a rearrangement of longstanding media
hierarchies including a fundamental change in the relationship between
media producers and consumers. Discuss with reference to examples.
14. The regulation of talkback radio in Australia is inadequate and needs to be
reformed. Discuss this statement, using examples to back up your
arguments. (If you believe change is necessary, you may wish to suggest
possible reforms.)
15. Has an Australian culture war been played out in newspaper opinion
columns? If so, how has this been articulated and to what end?
16. What are the most serious ethical and accountability issues in Australian
journalism? Is the MEAA Code of Ethics adequate to prevent these?
17. Social media has impacted on and transformed the ways in which most
forms of media operate. Discuss this statement, providing examples to
support your case. You may wish to focus on the impact of social media on
a single sector or area of media practice (such as free-to-air television,
journalism, or advertising, for example).
18. How, and why, do advertisers target specific demographics through notions
of identity (e.g. gender, sexuality, youth, race) in advertising?
19. The media should be in the business of giving the public what it wants, not
what it supposedly needs. Discuss this statement, with reference to relevant
examples.
20. Do interactive and satirical news formats enhance or detract from the
coverage of politics in Australia? Discuss.
21. If you would like to research another topic of your own choice, please
consult with your tutor/lecturer.
Notes
Youll find information on referencing on the LMS site, on the study aids and
resources page. Harvard style is preferred, but you may use any style as long as
you use it thoroughly and consistently.

You also find a handy essay writing guide on the LMS. Prepared by Jack Roberts,
its on the study aids and resources page.
Please refer to the Subject Guide or the LMS for details on extensions and special
consideration, penalties for late submission and other School of Culture and
Communication information about assessment.
You must submit your assignment both in a hard copy to the School of Culture and
Communication office, and in electronic copy through the process described on the
Assessment submission link on the LMS.