The military and the media
Associate Professor Kevin Foster
The difficult relationship between the media and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) dates back to the Great War, with very few reporters granted accreditation to cover Australian conflicts.
In an upcoming lecture, Associate Professor Kevin Foster from the School of English, Communications and Performance Studies will examine contemporary military-media relations in Australia.
“Historically the Australian military has been very intolerant of the media’s role as interpreters. They have tended to view the media as publicists,” Associate Professor Foster said.
Through World War II, Vietnam and the Korean wars, these views have persisted.
“Unlike other countries like America, who in comparison have enjoyed relative freedom, the Australian military have been incredibly suspicious and sometimes downright hostile to facets of the Australian media,” Associate Professor Foster said.
“Most recently, the principal evidence of the ADF’s mistrust is that it took them until 2009 to introduce an embedding program within the military. Even then, the media has only been granted a very restricted view.”
Whether these views still exist is a question Associate Professor Foster has examined in consultation with military personnel at the Australian Command and Staff College (ACSC).
“The results of the survey I undertook at the ACSC suggest that the military continues to harbour negative feelings towards the media. While it is heartening that there is a strongly held consensus amongst military staff that the public has a right to know what its armed forces are doing, they just don’t believe the media should be the ones to tell it,” Associate Professor Foster said.
How these beliefs have developed amongst the next generation of Australia’s military leaders is another integral question.
“It is clear that those who have interacted with the media tend to harbour more negative responses towards them,” Associate Professor Foster said.
“If ignorance has sown mutual mistrust, greater familiarity may only breed greater contempt and entrench any negative opinions.”
The event will see Associate Professor Foster delve further into the present day landscape alongside Dr Fay Anderson, who will examine the experiences of contemporary Australian media practitioners who have worked with the military; how these experiences have shaped attitudes towards the ADF; and how the media see the future of relations between the two parties.
The lecture will be held on Monday 14 November, 3-4pm.
For further information visit the Monash event website.