The portrayal of Indigenous Australians in Australian media falls short, according to university speaker Mr. Kieran Sturt.

At the University of Newcastle on Wednesday morning, Communication student Mr. Kieran Sturt gave his seminar titled: ‘Aboriginal Health in the Australian Media.’

Focusing on Indigenous Australians and their portrayal in Australian media, Mr. Sturt firmly argued that Australia’s First People deserve better.

“Media industries are dominated by white genders, specifically in Western societies such as Australia, the UK, and the US,” Mr. Sturt explained.

The young student revealed a front page of The Bulletin from the 1960’s: The National Australian Newspaper. “Australia for the White Man.”, prompting a few shocked gasps from the audience. He acknowledged that headlines like these are definitely a thing of the past.

Mr. Sturt maintained however that a lack of historical knowledge is the key. “News stories on Indigenous affairs are often ill-informed and enforce populous opinion, and even positive stories appear contrived and condescending,” he said.

Using a case study from The Conversation, written by Melissa Stoneham, Mr. Sturt evaluated the portrayal of Indigenous health, stating that Indigenous Australians actually suffer alcoholism at a similar rate as non-Indigenous people. This information is never told by mainstream media.

Mr. Sturt reasoned that with better education on Indigenous affairs and reporting in the Communication degree, this situation could see a drastic improvement.

Dr. Christina Koutsoukos, a lecturer and experienced journalist agreed with Mr. Sturt, “I think we all agree there is not enough information, and people feel intimidated…we’ve got a lot to learn, let’s put it that way.”

Mr. Sturt concluded by stating, “Every indigenous person is different and might want to be addressed differently. We need to break free from the media stereotypes and focus on the everyday life of Indigenous Australians, rather than focusing on their hardships.”

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