The Role of the Media in addressing Gun Violence

The media is what we Legal Studies teachers like to call a non-legal response to an issue.
Other non-legal responses include NGOs, lobby groups and protest movements (to name a
few).
The media plays a pivotal role in the legal system in raising awareness about social and legal
issues that might require legislative form.
The media is also crucial as it names and shames individuals, organisations, and
governments whose actions or behaviours may be illegal, inappropriate, outdated or simply
ethically wrong (a subjective concept).

Class discussion: What might the strengths of the media be in addressing issues?

Class discussion: What might the weaknesses of the media be in addressing issues?
 Case Study 1: Four Corners - Big Guns
https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/big-guns/10406306

In the box below, take notes on the issues raised in the ABC Four Corners documentary Big
Guns.

What might the aim of the ABC be in airing this episode? Do you think they are likely to
be successful?

Case Study 2: How to sell massacre

In 2019, Al-Jazeera journalist and former Newington parent, Peter Charley, released an
explosive documentary and report alleging that Rodger Muller, an Al-Jazeera journalist, had
infiltrated both the One Nation Party and the National Rifle Association. Through this
investigation, Muller uncovered evidence that One Nation was attempting to secure
$20million to gain seats in parliament and thence revoke the National Firearms Agreement.
Read the article and then watch episode one of Charley’s expose. Take notes, focusing not
only on the content, but the role and impact of the media.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/sell-massacre-nra-playbook-revealed-
190325111828105.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYyX7O02yOg&vl=en

Notes on the article/documentary and on the role/impact of the media.

Paragraph Question: To what extent is the media effective as a non-legal response dealing with gun
violence?

The media is an effective non-legal response to the topic of gun violence through the awareness it
generates for the general public. For many, gun laws in Australia were established and considered a
cement block in our constitution. However, this naïve perspective to gun violence is proving
dangerous as lobby groups around Australia are working behind closed doors to “slowly chip away”
at the established gun laws. The four corners documentary is an effective non-legal response to
these gun lobby groups as it shines a light on the relatively unknown and unreported actions that
they have taken to reduce the restrictions on guns in Australia. It looks at the relationships that
lobby groups have formed with political parties with the intent of generating masses of money in
order to keep the arms industry thriving. These sorts of relationships are things that should cause
fear in Australia public, as it would be unknown to many, without the viewing of a documentary, the
sorts of actions that lobby groups are taking to break down the restrictions on guns in Australia.
Through the use of a documentary as a non-legal response to gun violence, the media is able to alert
the general public of the extent to which lobby groups are relating with political parties in order to
generate money. Through creating this awareness, the doco can enact a change in the votes for gun-
lobby-supported political parties, possibly preventing any drastic changes to Australia’s important
gun laws.