The last few years have been an awakening time for the people, communities and governments of the global village. Escalating problems in the Middle East, global economic uncertainty and an increase in asylum seekers, refugees and migration worldwide have reignited tensions involving boundaries and borders, both geographical and cognitive. One event which highlighted these tensions in Australia, and which was given much media coverage, was the ‘children overboard’ event in October 2001. Utilising a selection of print news coverage of the event, this paper explores how the ‘children overboard’ event demarcated national identities and spaces through the construction and representation of ‘good’ Australian citizens and ‘bad’ asylum seeker ‘others’. Specifically referring to ‘children overboard’ as an ‘event’, I seek to highlight the constructed and representational nature of ‘children overboard’ as a media story and political tool, one which promoted a continuing threat of ‘others’ to the nation in order to gain support for government policy and legitimize national security, and in so doing creating a model of Australian citizenship and identity based upon fear.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AllardTom2001, ‘Howard Links Terrorism to Boat People’, Sydney Morning Herald, 8 November, p. 6.
D'HaenansLeenDe LangeMarielle2001, ‘Framing of Asylum Seekers in Dutch Regional Newspapers’, Media Culture and Society, no. 23, pp. 847–60.
12.
DodsonLouise2001, ‘Doubt Cast on Howard Government's Boat Story’, The Age, 9 November, p. 1.
13.
DouezSophie2001, ‘Boat People Threw Children Overboard, The Age, 8 October, p. 1.
14.
FaircloughNorman1989, Language and Power, Longman, London.
15.
FiskeJohn1994, Media Matters, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis.
16.
Four Corners (2002) ‘Too Good to be False’, Linda Jarsen Producer, ABC TV, 4 March.
17.
FreudenGeorge2001, ‘How Many People?’ [Letter to the Editor], Sydney Morning Herald, 9 October, p. 11.
18.
GarranRobert2001, ‘Navy Scuttles PM's Story’, The Australian, 9 October, p. 1.
19.
GregoryAndrew2001, ‘Boat Dilemma’, The West Australian, 9 October, p. 1.
20.
HaebichAnna2000, Broken Circles: Fragmenting Indigenous Families 1800–2000, Fremantle Arts Centre Press, Fremantle.
21.
HaywardJohn2001, ‘Let's Get This Straight’, The Australian, 13 October, p. 18.
22.
HendersonIan2001a, ‘Boat Children Overboard’, The Australian, 8 October, p. 1.
23.
HendersonIan2001b, ‘PM Plays Last Boat Fear Card’, The Australian, 8 November, p. 1.
24.
HermanEdward S.1986, ‘Gatekeeper Versus Propaganda Models: A Critical American Perspective’, in GoldingPeterMurdockGrahamSchlesingerPhilip (eds), Communicating Politics: Mass Communications and the Political Process, Leicester University Press, Leicester.
25.
HoganMichael1987, The Sectarian Strand: Religion in Australian History, Penguin, Ringwood.
26.
Howard, Beazley Lashed Over Race’2001, Sydney Morning Herald, 8 November, p. 1.
27.
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission2001, Face the Facts: Some Questions and Answers About Immigration, Refugees, and Indigenous Affairs, HREOC, Sydney.
28.
‘Keep Australia in Safe Hands’2001, Advertisement, The Age, 10 November, p. 10.
29.
LewisSteve2001, ‘Refugees Overshadow ALP’, Australian Financial Times, 8 October, p. 1.
30.
LoweBarry1995, Media Mythologies, UNSW Press, Sydney.
LudlowMark2001a, ‘Children Hurled into Sea’, Courier-Mail, 8 October, p. 1.
33.
LudlowMark2001b, ‘Children Overboard’, The Mercury, 8 October, p. 1.
34.
LudlowMark2001c, ‘Shots Fired to Stop Boat’, The Advertiser, 8 October, p. 1.
35.
MadiganMichael2001, ‘Frigate Salvages Human Cargo’, Courier-Mail, 9 October, p. 9.
36.
MajewskiSteve2001, ‘Boat People’ [Letter to the Editor], The West Australian, 10 October, p. 17.
37.
McCombsMaxwellDanielianLucigWantaWayne1995, ‘Issues in the News and the Public Agenda: The Agenda Setting Tradition’, in GlasserTheodore. L.SalmonCharles T. (eds), Public Opinion and the Communication of Consent, The Guilford Press, New York.
38.
MiddletonKaren2001, ‘Howard Firm as Boat People Dive Branded a Stunt’, The West Australian, 8 October, p. 4.
39.
‘Murky Waters: Were the Children Thrown?’2001, The Age, 9 November, p. 2.
40.
‘Navy Save Iraqis Twice’2001, The Canberra Times, 9 October, p. 3.
41.
NobleGreg2002, ‘Comfortable and Relaxed: Furnishing the Home and Nation’, Continuumvol. 16, no. 1.
42.
O'BrienNatalie2001, ‘Overboard Incident Never Happened’, The Australian, 7 November, p. 1.
43.
OrmanKate2001, ‘Whatever the Reason’ [Letter to the Editor], Sydney Morning Herald, 9 October, p. 11.
44.
PeakeRoss2001, ‘Children on Boat Thrown into Sea’, The Canberra Times, 8 October, p. 1.
45.
QuarMarloo2001, ‘Terrorism at Sea’ [Letter to the Editor], The West Australian, 10 October, p. 17.
46.
RaboyM.DagenaisB. (ed.) 1992, Media, Crisis, and Democracy: Mass Communication and the Disruption of the Social Order, Sage, London.
Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families1997, Bringing Them Home, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.
50.
RoweDavid2001, ‘Affluent; Resourceful’ [Letter to the Editor], The Age, 13 October, p. 6.
51.
RuddockPhillip2001, ‘Refugee Pictures Put People at Risk’, The Age, 13 October, p. 6.
52.
SaundersMegan2001, ‘How the Facts Went Overboard’, The Australian, 9 November, p. 4.
53.
ScullingDominic2001, ‘Truth Overboard with Children’ [Letter to the Editor], The Australian, 12 October, p. 12.
54.
SmithHugh2002, ‘A Certain Maritime Incident and Uncertain Political Military Relations’, paper presented at the Australian Defence Studies Centre Seminar, Canberra, May, available www.idun.itsc.adfa.edu.au/ADSC/WP71Smith.htm
55.
‘Today It's Your Decision’2001, Advertisement, The Age, 10 November, p. 6.
56.
TomkinsonMark2001, ‘We Don't Need Them’ [Letter to the Editor], The West Australian, 10 October, p. 17.
57.
Wahl-JorgensenKarin2002, ‘The Construction of the Public in Letters to the Editor’, Journalism, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 183–204.
58.
WardIan2002, ‘The Tampa, Wedge Politics, and a Lesson for Political Journalism’, Australian Journalism Review, vol. 24, no. 1.
59.
‘We Decide’, 2001, Advertisement, The West Australian, 9 November, p. 8.
