If news organisations in Australia created a ‘round’ for reporting on ageing and aged care issues, the often-marginalised sector would be better represented, and entrenched ageism potentially less prevalent say QUT researchers.
Their research also suggests that the voice of politicians and other ‘elites’ are given much more attention as media sources than people in aged care, aged care staff or the families of older people.
Who or What Gets Referenced by Whom, How Often, and in Which Ways? Exploring Journalists’ Sourcing Practices in the Context of Aged Care Coverage has been published in Journalism Practice. It’s an analysis of which sources journalists at four national news outlets (The Saturday Paper, The Guardian Australia, The Australian, and the ABC) used in their news coverage of the aged care sector during the first half of the Aged Care Royal Commission (1 October 2018 – 31 December 2019).
Its authors are DMRC’s chief investigator Dr T.J. Thomson, who is also a senior lecturer with QUT’s School of Communication, undergraduate research assistant Alex Phan, acclaimed poet and aged-care advocate Professor Sarah Holland-Batt (School of Creative Practice), Associate Professor Jen Seevinck (School of Design), Professor Evonne Miller, Director, QUT Design Lab (School of Design), and MPhil student Sam Regi (School of Design). Read more here.