Reporting on Indigenous Issues: some practical suggestions for improving journalistic practice in the coverage of indigenous affairs

Abstract

The National Media Forum was established following the 1992 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. The Forum brings together journalists, Indigenous community members and media researchers, which meets biennially to discuss the representation of Indigenous people in the Australian media. The theme of the 1998 National Media Forum in Perth, Western Australia, was 'Reporting on Indigenous Issues'. This two-day workshop aimed to move away from more common polarised debate about reporting, which is characterised by sweeping Indigenous accusations of racism and defensive accounts of 'standard journalistic practice'. This paper offers practical suggestions from delegates useful to working journalists and journalism students considering the complexity of covering Indigenous issues in the Australian media.