Media and Communications research projects
Political reporting of Australian election campaigns
In recent years, there has been a great deal of criticism about how the Australian media reports election campaigns including accusations of bias, sensationalism, lazy journalism, editorialising, horse-race reporting that is obsessed with opinion polls, and pack journalism where the same stories and angles are constantly employed. But until now, these allegations have not been tested. This research provides that opportunity. It will help those involved in political journalism to reflect on the strength and weaknesses of their practices and help the Australian community understand how media reporting impacts on political debate and decision making.
Public screens and the transformation of public space
Prof Sean Cubitt, Dr Scott McQuire and Assoc Prof Nikos Papastergiadis
Visit the Spatial Aesththetics website for more information
The aim of this project is to produce a critical analysis of the impact of large electronic screens on contemporary forms of social agency in public space. Our key hypothesis is that the new generation of interactive public screens offer unique opportunities for public participation and civic revitalization. The project proposes an interdisciplinary methodology combining cross-cultural fieldwork with theoretical analysis of artistic interventions into urban culture. These different strands of investigation will culminate in a grounded evaluation of new forms of public engagement. This has strategic relevance to understanding the impact of new media in civic spaces.
Speed, time and political process in Australia
Dr Robert Hassan, ARC Senior Research Fellow
The interrelated processes of globalisation and the revolution in information and communications technologies are creating an increasingly networked and high-speed society whose effects have left many areas unexplored and under-analysed. Amongst these are the effects of digital networks and speed upon political processes and institutions within the Australian polity. The project will comprise a five-year theoretical and political-ethnographic study into how formal political processes such as background research, reflective analysis, debate, canvassing of expert opinion, and the awareness of future consequences of political decision-making are affected by the global pressures of the network society and the acceleration of everyday life.
More research projects
Further information on the variety of projects in which staff and research fellows are involved is available on their profile pages, which can be accessed from the following pages: