A UNIVERSITY of Adelaide academic says new research highlights the extent to which Rupert Murdoch-owned media outlets have campaigned against the proposed Voice to Parliament in the lead up to the Referendum.

The ‘Murdoch Referendum Accountability Project’ research has been led by Dr Victoria Fielding, with the study commissioned by Australians for a Murdoch Royal Commission to “hold News Corp accountable for their coverage of the Voice referendum”.

Advertise with News of The Area today.
It’s worth it for your business.
Message us.
Phone us – (02) 4981 8882.
Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au

“As Australia’s largest and most powerful media organisation in a highly concentrated industry, News Corp’s Voice referendum coverage has important implications for how this democratic process unfolds,” report author Dr Victoria Fielding said.

“In relation to the Voice referendum, an ideal media system which was carrying out their democratic roles effectively would give equal opportunity to the referendum ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ advocates to make their case to the Australian people.

“This does not just mean including different voices in equal proportion.

“It also means treating them equitably and holding them to the same standards.

“This equitable treatment should also include fair and reasonable scrutiny of the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ spokespeople to ensure they are not misleading the public about their case for or against Aboriginal constitutional recognition and a Voice to parliament.

“When misinformation is used to undermine public debates, democracy is damaged,” Dr Fielding said.

Over six weeks from 17 July to 27 August 2023, Fielding’s research team analysed a total of 731 pieces of content covering the Voice referendum from The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, The Herald Sun and Sky News.

The report makes the clear distinction between the two key types of content being produced by News Corp mastheads: commentary and reporting.

In general, Dr Fielding and her team found reporting on the Voice from News Corp outlets to be “balanced and accurate”.

In terms of commentary however, Fielding says the data tells a different story.

“The commentary, on the other hand, is almost entirely one-sided in support of ‘No’ arguments,” Dr Fielding said.

“The vast majority of commentators at News Corp are conservative, whether they be columnists in newspapers, Sky News hosts, or both.

“Our data shows that the majority of content being produced about the Voice is commentary rather than reporting, and as such when arguments are included, ‘No’ arguments dominate News Corp’s coverage at a proportion of 70 percent.”

Dr Fielding also found the commentary to be “undermining the public’s access to accurate information about the Voice referendum” through the use of misinformation.

The level of balance between outlets was also compared in the report, with The Australian found to be the most balanced of the four Murdoch mastheads being studied.

61 percent of the Voice related content in The Australian favoured ‘No’ arguments.

The Herald Sun was deemed the least balanced, with 81 percent promoting ‘No’ arguments.

Later in the report, Fielding writes of the dangers of the blurred lines between commentary and objective reporting on News Corp platforms, particularly Sky News.

“Although this research differentiates between reporters as those presenting news, and commentators as those presenting their opinions, this delineation is not always obvious to the audience.

“Sky News commentators often present themselves as reporting news.

“For example, despite being a political commentator, Peta Credlin on Sky News (August 3, 2023) appropriates journalistic terminology in reporting her ‘exposure’ of the supposed hidden pages of the Uluru Statement, which she says were discovered through freedom of information requests.

“In this type of content, Credlin presents herself as an investigative journalist rather than a commentator.”

Sky News reporters have not taken kindly to the report, with Sky News Digital Editor describing Fielding as a “activist researcher, who is campaigning for the Voice”.

Mr Houghton went on to write on Skynews.com.au that the “Australians for a Murdoch Royal Commission group will use this flawed research to front a narrative that the Voice, which is struggling in the polls, failed because of media coverage”.

Ms Fielding told News Of The Area that Sky News’ questioning of her research methodology was due to their wanting to “undermine our project”.

Change may be afoot at News Corp, with the announcement last week that Rupert Murdoch is stepping down as Chairman of Fox Corporation and News Corp after a career of almost 70 years.

Dr Bonita Mason, Program Director, Bachelor of Journalism and Professional Writing, University of South Australia, said Murdoch has “held and has exercised deep influence over the English-speaking media spheres”.

“Murdoch, one of the last family-based media barons, has always been able to wield power and deep influence over the Australian and other governments and, through this influence – much of it expressed through News Corp journalism – over the societies these governments represent.

“It has been widely said that some of News Corp’s activities have been a threat to democracy and an argument can be made for that, but News Corp also produces some excellent journalism and journalists, including many UniSA graduates.

“However, we have seen some damaging misinformation and disinformation from News Corp.”

Dr Mason said that despite waning international influence, in a highly concentrated legacy media environment such as Australia’s, News Corp’s influence still matters.

“We’re seeing that in the Indigenous Voice debate, when The Australian mischaracterised Professor Marcia Langton’s comments about racism and stupidity behind No campaign strategies and statements as being aimed at No voters. “Langton did not aim her comments at No voters, but such coverage is The Australian’s campaigning approach to journalism that has eroded the publication’s accuracy and credibility,” she said.

“The same kind of inaccuracy and scaremongering occurred during the native title debates of the 1990s and 2000s, and in climate coverage since.”

News Corp was contacted for comment.

By Doug CONNOR