Media Mystique Unveiled!

Abstract

In this religion and the media feature, academics and media professionals lift the lid on Australia's media industry to reveal the challenges faced when presenting religion to the public. ABC's Vaughan Hinton (Executive Producer - Religious TV) and Paul Collins (Specialist Editor - Religion for ABC Radio) present articles exploring the ABC's history and policies in regard to religious programming. From the aspect of the mainstream press, Muriel Porter discusses the complexities of the women's ordination debate in the print media while Deborah Selway exposes the dilemmas facing religion reporters in Australia's mainstream press. In David Busch's article, we learn of the function of the Christian press industry in Australia and its prospects for the future. Peter Bentley then introduces a case study on the print media's coverage of smaller religious groups. Finally, Robin Weston reports on the significance of CAAMA Radio in the lives of Aboriginal people and highlights the importance of that medium in fostering Aboriginal spirituality. Overall, this feature aims to dispel the mystique surrounding the media and thus allows a clearer view of Australia's religious media.