Indonesia in Australian media - A literature review

This article reviews the literature analysing, or closely related to the analysis of, Australian media representations of Indonesia. It is argued that there are three broad perspectives discernable in the literature: the liberal-pluralist, the “culturalist” and the “political economic”, and these perspectives are critically assessed. It is argued that the liberal-pluralist perspective provides important insights into the specific mechanics of journalists work in this area, but lacks a broader social and historical analysis. The “culturalist” perspective uncovers many of the recurring codes and myths that inform the Australian media, but also has an inadequate or inaccurate accounts of social structures. Work in the “political-economic” perspective takes into account social and economic factors shaping the media, but often lacks a theory of ideology as socially produced knowledge and discourse.