Media Critique To Investigate Ideas On Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Australians Homework Answer

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Question :

Assessment item 2 - Media Critique

Value: 20%

Length: 850 words

Group Assessment: NoTASK

Key ideas:

  • How ideas about the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians become institutionalised, taken-for-granted, and common sense. 
  • How Indigenous Australians are constructed in popular and other media.

Over module one you have reflected on your knowledge and understanding about yourself in relation to the construction of ideas about collective Australian culture, including of Indigenous Australians. In this task you will critique two examples from the media to investigate how ideas about Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians are reproduced and reinforced institutionally.

You will choose two articles to analyse.

Article 1: Rio Tinto bosses lose bonuses over Aboriginal cave destruction.

Article 2: ‘It’s just denial’: Bruce Pascoe, Labor condemn PM’s ‘no slavery in Australia’ claim

Article 3: Aboriginal astrophysicist proves anyone can aim for the stars.

You must provide a separate critique of 350 words for each article, but they should be submitted together as one-word document.

At the beginning of the Media Critique, you must include a separate 150 statement outlining how your pre-existing knowledge or cultural competence positions you to understand the issues discussed in the articles.

Use the following guide questions to assist you to focus each critique but do not respond to each question individually. You must provide a synthesised response which considers your own pre-existing knowledge and cultural competence.

  1. How is the information in the article ordered? Which material is presented first? Which sources or experts are presented first? How is this ordering positioning readers to interpret the information?
  2. Thinking about your knowledge of Australian history, what information is included and excluded? Are there any taken-for-granted assumptions about Australian history or culture?
  3. What would a reader infer about the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples based on the text of the article? How are Indigenous and non-Indigenous people positioned in the article?
  4. Is there an Indigenous viewpoint included in the article? If yes, how does the author use Indigenous perspectives to support or contradict the main message? If no, how could this influence a readers' perception of Indigenous people and of the main message in the article? 
  5. Based on the answers to the above questions, how might Indigenous and non-Indigenous readers interpret the ideas expressed in the article?

This task does not require you to express your opinion on the points made in the articles. You must critique the article to identify the main ideas that are evident and then analyse the impact of the information in reinforcing ideas about Australian culture and Indigenous peoples and issues.

This assessment will be completed by using the secure online assessment platform, Cadmus. Cadmus can be accessed through the subject Interact2 site. In Cadmus, you will find further assessment instructions, write your submission, and submit your assessment. The platform is designed to simplify the assessment process, making it easy to focus on the task at hand while developing your academic skills.  

See your Assessment 2 tab in the subject site for more information. 

RATIONALE

This assessment task will assess the following learning outcome/s:

  • be able to investigate, compare and reflect on standpoint to explain Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples' historical positioning.
  • be able to describe, analyse and theorise individual and collective standpoint in relation to Indigenous peoples' experiences of Australian history.

This task extends on Task 1 to work toward meeting the following IKC101 Learning Outcomes:

LO1: Be able to investigate, compare and reflect on standpoint to explain Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples’ historical positioning.

LO2: Be able to describe, analyse, and theorise individual and collective standpoint in relation to Indigenous peoples' experience of Australian history.

In Task 1 you focussed on the reflection of your own knowledge and the influences on how you came to know things about Indigenous Australians. If you are Indigenous, or have connections with an Indigenous community or group, you will have access to more social knowledge than those who are not Indigenous or do not have such associations.

Task 2 requires you to apply your self-reflection to the critique of two media articles. If you lack knowledge about a topic or issue institutions like the media may more easily persuade you to adopt a particular perspective. There is also knowledge that we take-for-granted because powerful institutions like schools, churches, government, the media (and social media) reinforce them.

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Answer :

TASK 1: SELF-REFLECTION

The Indigenous people are considered as the First Nation people whose lives got severely affected by the advent of the Europeans in the 17th century (Nakata, 2006). My understanding on the Indigenous people was strengthened by the basic research I conducted when I came across a few people. I found them different; by the way they dressed up, living styles, interaction levels and an isolation that they prefer even in the public places. They form a strong element of the ancient Australian history and culture, thus there are several attempts made by the Government to secure and strengthen them and their distinct culture, which even differs among themselves; as they are divided into various tribes and nations (Zuckerman & Walsh, 2011). The knowledge I have, regarding the Indigenous people, has empowered me to critically evaluate the articles and learn how they have portrayed their position in the country. I see myself in a position to understand the context of the articles without doing any more research.

TASK 2: MEDIA CRITIQUES 

Article 1: Rio Tinto bosses lose bonuses over Aboriginal cave destruction.

The article first mentions the destruction of the sacred Aboriginal Site by mining company Rio Tinto. As we proceed with reading the article, the historicity of the caves inhabited by the Aboriginals is discussed. The way ordering of the article is done; shows the importance placed on the site. The readers interpret that a big blunder at the hand of the company has taken place. 

Australia was inhabited by many Indigenous people before the Europeans landed in the 18th century and made it a colony. The Indigenous people suffered mass exploitation at the hands of colonizers, and the wounds are still present. The article does reflect the importance placed in the destructed; however, they do not give a brief of these people's sufferings, except for the video of PKKP representative John Ashburton. Most of the article discusses the apology by the company. However, it cannot be said that there has been any taken-for-granted assumption about Australian history or culture.

A reader would infer that the Indigenous people do not enjoy the same position as non-Indigenous, as the company did not bother to communicate with the Indigenous people before destroying the ancient site. Moreover, the article depicts the Indigenous people at the disadvantaged edge compared to the Non-Indigenous people.

The article contains the Indigenous viewpoint of the PKKP representation, which is quite emotional. The author has rightly used it while coming to an end of the article to create sensitivity among the readers about the emotions attached to the Indigenous people's ancient culture. The readers who are not aware of the ancient Australian culture would be curious to learn about it.

The Indigenous people would get quite emotional while reading the words of Mr John Ashburton as they might relate with him. Even if the mining company has apologized for the loss, the deep sufferings might not go so soon for the Indigenous people. When the Non-Indigenous people read the article, they might get a sense of awareness regarding the declining culture and how important it is to preserve it. Their views regarding the Indigenous community might change a bit.

Article 3: Aboriginal astrophysicist proves anyone can aim for the stars.

The article's information is listed so that it wants the readers to read until the last word. Two words, "Gamilarray Woman", catch the attention as Gamilarray are Aboriginal Australians, and women form less than one-fifth of the STEM population as per 2016 government data. The article's positioning is done strategically to keep the reader interested and curious about coming next.

Concerning Australian history, where the Indigenous people dominated the entire continent until the Europeans came in the 17th century; the writer does not specify how history changed over time. However, she does mention the struggles of the Indigenous people to stay at par with the non-Indigenous people. It does not seem that there are any taken-for-granted assumptions about Australian history or culture.

The reader would interpret that somehow, the Indigenous people are lacking, and it is critical to acknowledge their achievements even when facing so many struggles. However, the article does not attempt to put the Non-Indigenous people in a lousy picture. The relation between both seems just all right. The Indigenous people are shown as the ones who struggle to be at par with the non-Indigenous people. However, it is essential to mention that at some places, the writer has acknowledged the achiever, Ms Noon, not just for being an Aboriginal, but also a woman, who studied Maths among the men alone. 

The views of Ms Noon are mentioned in the article, which empowers the content and makes it worth reading. The author has tried to support the words of Ms Noon by adding some facts related to her and her community, which enhance the reader's understanding. It further strengthens the idea that if a woman from a community with so many challenges could rise above, anyone can.

The article owns the strength to empower not just the Indigenous but also the non-Indigenous people. For an Indigenous person, the achievements of Ms Noon can work as an igniting fuel that helps them achieve their dreams, no matter what come may. A non-Indigenous person would become aware of not just the miseries and helpless state of the Indigenous people but also their strength, irrespective of challenges.