After a tumultuous year, attention is slowly shifting to what comes next for Australia.
But, in 2020, three major global disruptions crossed the threshold from expert warnings to here-and-now reality. The dangers of a hyper-connected, hyper-mobile world have been laid bare by the social, economic, and health chaos wrought by coronavirus. The devastating impacts of a hotter planet burst through with the horrors of deadly bushfires, storms, and floods. The far-reaching ripple effects of geopolitical and economic power shifting from West to East have been brought starkly home by the spectre of a trade war with our largest trading partner.
Can Australia make the future it wants in this dynamic context?
Our research over the last decade with leaders across all sectors (including the media) tells us that a decisive factor is how the media participates in the national conversation.
In fact, alumni of our Parliamentary Leaders Program consistently tell us that one of the biggest enablers of better government would be a more constructive conversation between journalists and parliamentarians. Instead, they experience a conflict culture designed to feed the 24/7 news cycle.
The Constructive Institute defines a conflict culture as:
An emphasis on aggressive pundits and sensational sound bytes that cripples political conversation, handing the microphone only to the loudest and most shocking and drowning out thoughtful analysis, collaboration and ways forward.
The current conflict culture in Australian politics and the media creates a defensive “us-and-them” mindset, right when we need trust, give and take, and collaboration. It discourages good people from entering politics and adding their voices to the debate more broadly. It promotes politics over policy, and problems over solutions. It reinforces a political correctness on all sides that stops exploratory discussion and innovation on complex challenges and opportunities. It creates needless anxiety for the sake of a few extra clicks on a story. It instils a sense of hopelessness — everything is conflict, everything is broken, nothing is possible. And it prevents constructive discussion and action to make the future Australia wants.
Instead of this conflict, to thrive in the coming years, Australia needs journalists, media organisations, social media, and digital platforms that enable nuanced debate, including allowing people to change their mind as they explore issues in detail. That engage experts (because they have deep knowledge) and the public (because they make up society). That give space to more diverse voices representative of current Australia, not just vested interests or a bygone Australia. And that enhance social cohesion and optimism rather than enflame polarisation and cynicism.
Imagine the future Australia could make if two of its most important institutions — politics and the media — moved beyond conflict culture to constructive engagement, holding each other to account and inspiring each other in service of the nation as a whole. The media might also discover that there is an appetite amongst readers and viewers for such an approach.
The good news is it’s already happening. Our My Big Idea and What’s the Future, Australia? partnerships with News Corp in 2016 and 2017 and our Future Fix collaboration with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in 2018 / 2019 are examples of major media outlets playing this constructive role.
For more ideas on how Australia can make this transition, visit the Constructive Institute’s 24 Hours for the Future of Journalism online conference including a panel on “The Toxic Cycle of Conflict in Media and Politics” with:
Mark Riley, Political Editor, Seven Network
Katharine Murphy, Political Editor, Guardian Australia
Shalailah Medhora, Political Correspondent, Triple J
Kirsten Brosbøl, Former Danish Minister of Environment
Ralph Ashton, Founder and Executive Director, Australian Futures Project
Moderator: Richard Lawson, Former Canberra Bureau Chief, Australian Associated Press
Plus a special breakout session with Sarah Oliver and Brett McLeod, News Anchor, Nine News Melbourne