Research from the Australian Human Rights Commission has confirmed that age discrimination is an ongoing problem in media reporting.At the beginning of October, the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) released its research report on the prevalence of ageism and age discrimination in media reporting in Australia. The report, entitled ‘Shaping perceptions: how Australian media reports on ageing’, found that age discrimination is present in much of the Australian news media landscape. For many older people this will come as no surprise.
How was the research conducted?
The AHRC’s research had three components. First, they reviewed existing academic research and government reports on ageism and diversity in the Australian media landscape.
Second, they analysed media reporting on age and ageing from a variety of Australian media outlets to see how ageing and older people were represented and reported on.
Third, they conducted a series of interviews with a range of specialists including academics, media industry workers and workers in age-related sectors to understand their views on the representations of ageing and older people in media reporting and to develop strategies to improve this reporting.
Media portrayals of age and ageing
The AHRC’s research found that media reporting on ageing and age-related topics frequently portrayed ageing as a process of decline and loss of physical and mental capacity. In many of the news stories examined, ageing was repeatedly presented negatively and as something to be avoided or delayed. At the same time, there was little mention in these stories of any positive elements of age or ageing.
For older women, these portrayals went hand in hand with sexist aesthetic concerns that portrayed ageing as a loss of youth, beauty and the implied value that comes with these physical characteristics.
The research also found age discrimination in the way that older people were portrayed and discussed. According to the research, older people were often portrayed in the media as being vulnerable or lacking independence simply because of their age. Likewise, they were sometimes portrayed as being passive recipients of charity from the community or care from adult children or other family members. The reporting analysed by AHRC rarely showed older people who were active in their community as workers or volunteers, or who were carers themselves.
On the rare occasions when older people were portrayed as physically fit or capable, they were often framed using what the research calls ‘hero stories’. These ‘hero stories’ detailed impressive feats by older people but presented them as ‘exceptional’ and ‘out of reach’ for most older people. An example covered in the report was a story of a 94 year-old man who had just completed his 100th 5km run. This reinforces the idea that most older people are physically frail in contrast to the ‘hero’ subjects of these stories.
The findings of the AHRC research reflected the existing academic research on portrayals of age and ageism in the Australian media landscape, in which older people were often framed as vulnerable and as a ‘cost to the system’. This shows that age discrimination is as much of a problem in media reporting as it is in the rest of the media ecosystem.
Interests of some older people represented
Many of the interviews conducted as part of the AHRC’s research provided a contrasting view of the news media landscape. While most of the interviewees agreed that ageing and older people were unfairly represented in media reporting, many of those interviewed also argued that topics of interest to older people received a lot of attention in news coverage.
Several of the academics interviewed argued that topics such as superannuation, tax concessions, property and finance received a lot of coverage, and were often presented in a way that aligned with the views of many older people.
However, CPSA argues that this reflects a narrow and stereotypical view of older people as a wealthy cohort. By ignoring the diversity among older people, including older people on lower incomes or older people who do not own property, this perspective excludes those older people who do not fit into this narrow stereotype.
The AHRC report’s findings are an important reminder of how easily age discrimination can go unnoticed for many people. As the report notes, it is unfortunately “one of the most socially acceptable forms of prejudice in Australia”.
For many older people, this is no surprise. Earlier this year CPSA received several calls, letters and emails from members notifying us of a series of commercials for Elders Insurance that ended with the tagline “our way never gets old”. This casual ageism that conflates ‘old’ with ‘bad’ or ‘out of touch’ is just one example of the sort of age discrimination that the AHRC report highlights.
Clearly, businesses and media organisations need to do better.
At the beginning of October, the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) released its research report on the prevalence of ageism and age discrimination in media reporting in Australia. The report, entitled ‘Shaping perceptions: how Australian media reports on ageing’, found that age discrimination is present in much of the Australian news media landscape. For many older people this will come as no surprise.
How was the research conducted?
The AHRC’s research had three components. First, they reviewed existing academic research and government reports on ageism and diversity in the Australian media landscape.
Second, they analysed media reporting on age and ageing from a variety of Australian media outlets to see how ageing and older people were represented and reported on.
Third, they conducted a series of interviews with a range of specialists including academics, media industry workers and workers in age-related sectors to understand their views on the representations of ageing and older people in media reporting and to develop strategies to improve this reporting.
Media portrayals of age and ageing
The AHRC’s research found that media reporting on ageing and age-related topics frequently portrayed ageing as a process of decline and loss of physical and mental capacity. In many of the news stories examined, ageing was repeatedly presented negatively and as something to be avoided or delayed. At the same time, there was little mention in these stories of any positive elements of age or ageing.
For older women, these portrayals went hand in hand with sexist aesthetic concerns that portrayed ageing as a loss of youth, beauty and the implied value that comes with these physical characteristics.
The research also found age discrimination in the way that older people were portrayed and discussed. According to the research, older people were often portrayed in the media as being vulnerable or lacking independence simply because of their age. Likewise, they were sometimes portrayed as being passive recipients of charity from the community or care from adult children or other family members. The reporting analysed by AHRC rarely showed older people who were active in their community as workers or volunteers, or who were carers themselves.
On the rare occasions when older people were portrayed as physically fit or capable, they were often framed using what the research calls ‘hero stories’. These ‘hero stories’ detailed impressive feats by older people but presented them as ‘exceptional’ and ‘out of reach’ for most older people. An example covered in the report was a story of a 94 year-old man who had just completed his 100th 5km run. This reinforces the idea that most older people are physically frail in contrast to the ‘hero’ subjects of these stories.
The findings of the AHRC research reflected the existing academic research on portrayals of age and ageism in the Australian media landscape, in which older people were often framed as vulnerable and as a ‘cost to the system’. This shows that age discrimination is as much of a problem in media reporting as it is in the rest of the media ecosystem.
Interests of some older people represented
Many of the interviews conducted as part of the AHRC’s research provided a contrasting view of the news media landscape. While most of the interviewees agreed that ageing and older people were unfairly represented in media reporting, many of those interviewed also argued that topics of interest to older people received a lot of attention in news coverage.
Several of the academics interviewed argued that topics such as superannuation, tax concessions, property and finance received a lot of coverage, and were often presented in a way that aligned with the views of many older people.
However, CPSA argues that this reflects a narrow and stereotypical view of older people as a wealthy cohort. By ignoring the diversity among older people, including older people on lower incomes or older people who do not own property, this perspective excludes those older people who do not fit into this narrow stereotype.
The AHRC report’s findings are an important reminder of how easily age discrimination can go unnoticed for many people. As the report notes, it is unfortunately “one of the most socially acceptable forms of prejudice in Australia”.
For many older people, this is no surprise. Earlier this year CPSA received several calls, letters and emails from members notifying us of a series of commercials for Elders Insurance that ended with the tagline “our way never gets old”. This casual ageism that conflates ‘old’ with ‘bad’ or ‘out of touch’ is just one example of the sort of age discrimination that the AHRC report highlights.
Clearly, businesses and media organisations need to do better.
