Australian media plays key role in shaping public debate on democracy in schools, a new study has found.
Research led by Western Sydney University, in collaboration with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and Wesley College Melbourne, reveals how Australia’s major print newspapers have played a pivotal role in shaping public narratives about democracy, youth participation, and curriculum change in schools over the past decade.
The study, ‘Education and Democracy in the Australian Media: A Decadal Report’, analysed 746 articles from The Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph, The Age, and The Australian between 2014 and 2023. It examined how media coverage has defined the “political tug of war” on democratic ideas in schooling and curriculum.
Associate Professor Jorge Knijnik, lead author from Western Sydney University’s School of Education and Institute for Culture and Society, said the findings demonstrate how the media provides a critical platform for public debate on education and democracy.
“The results of this study not only identify key trends about the public discourse on topics analysed, but also uncover the hidden ideological motivations that newspapers have in highlighting certain aspects of the democratic debate while overlooking others,” Professor Knijnik said.
“There is an ongoing tension between different understandings of what ‘democracy’ means for schools. While a few news reports consider ‘choice’ of school as the ultimate democratic right, others assume that citizenship education equates to democratic education.”
“It is crucial to understand that there is a difference between ‘democracy and education’ and ‘democratic education’ - the latter being essential for fostering a more participatory and inclusive democracy.”
Key findings from the report include:
- The terms democratic education and citizenship education in schools were referenced in 70 per cent of articles, with 527 mentions across the four newspapers.
- The idea of an “educated democratic society”, comprising active and informed citizens was consistently highlighted in coverage.
- Citizenship and education was the most addressed topic, appearing in 36.9 per cent of all articles analysed.
The study identified five recurring themes as to how education and democracy are portrayed in the Australian print media:
- The role of state and federal governments, schools, teachers, and students in producing an educated society within Australian democracy.
- Equity in educational outcomes and government funding.
- The politicisation of education in a democratic society.
- The importance of civics and citizenship education.
- The role of values education in a democratic society.
“Over the past decade, Australian mainstream printed media consistently portrayed education as a central pillar of democracy, focusing on how it is shaped by political debates, government policies, curriculum controversies, and societal values,” Associate Professor Jane Hunter, UTS, co-author of the study, said.
“Coverage often reflected multiculturalism and preserving Western values, especially in response to global events and terrorism.”
To strengthen democratic education through media literacy, the authors stress the urgent need to develop media literacy programs for educators to critically engage young people in the way the media portrays democracy in schools.
“Educators can gain valuable insights from ongoing media literacy programs to critically engage with how the media portrays broad topics such as education and democracy,” Cameron Paterson, a teacher partner to the study, said.
"Funded professional learning programs in all Australian schools will support teachers, and the students they teach, with skills to critically analyse media narratives, enabling them to be aware, navigate and challenge dominant discourses around citizenship and democratic values.”
The study also highlights the need for further research including analysis of digital and social platforms, the role of regional and local media in giving communities a voice, and the impacts of media coverage on policy and public opinion. It also recommends incorporating the perspectives of journalists and education stakeholders to deepen understanding of these issues.
The original version of this article appeared as a media release from iSentia.