Education

The media influences to a large extent community attitudes towards Indigenous Australians. A large number of guidelines have been published in an effort to educate journalists and prevent media racism. Institutional watchdogs such as the Australian Press Council play a role in policing these guidelines.

ABC Editorial & Program Policies (as at July 1, 2008)

11.11 Indigenous Australian content

11.11.1 In this section, ‘Indigenous Australian’ refers to the Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders of Australia. An Indigenous Australian is defined as a person who is a descendant of an Indigenous inhabitant of Australia, identifies as an Aboriginal person or a Torres Strait Islander and is recognised as such by the community in which the person lives. Staff should not assume that people are Indigenous because of their appearance or because of the nature of their work or their support for an Indigenous cause.

11.11.2 Under the Charter, the ABC must reflect the cultural diversity of Australian society, which includes presenting content by, for and about Indigenous Australians. The ABC produces, commissions and purchases such material for broadcast and publication online. The ABC provides employment equity to Indigenous Australians. The ABC has a responsibility to reflect, to the wider community, issues and developments affecting Indigenous Australians.

11.11.3 Staff should seek advice and involvement from relevant Indigenous sources where appropriate. Staff in the Indigenous Programs Unit can be consulted on these matters.

11.11.4 Significant cultural practices of Indigenous Australians should be observed in content and reporting. Bereavement practices of Indigenous Australians vary in different regions and often include sensitivity to seeing or hearing the image, voice or name of the deceased. Staff should verify and, where appropriate, observe local practices. Where footage, images or sound recordings of deceased Indigenous Australians are used, suitable warnings should be given at the beginning of the content. If the name of the deceased is not being used in order to meet local cultural practices, the audience should be informed of this.

11.11.5 Some words and phrases, written and spoken, may offend Indigenous Australians. Advice should be sought before using regional terms such as Koori, Nunga, Yolngu, Murri and so on, and on the use of the word ‘black’ in various contexts. Aboriginal/Aborigine is the most accepted term when reporting to a national audience. However, the use of the word ‘Indigenous’ in a national sense can be used for ‘Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander’ or either group singularly. ‘Aborigine’ is generally accepted as the noun, and ‘Aboriginal’ as the adjective. When written, Aboriginal/Aborigine and Indigenous should always be dignified with a capital ‘A’ or ‘I’ and Aboriginal should never be abbreviated. Torres Strait Islander should be used in full and not shortened to ‘TSI’.

View the full policies from here.