Title:
Stopping the boats: the media depiction of ‘Operation
Sovereign Borders’
Citation:
Box, M.
(2018). Stopping the boats: the media
depiction of ‘Operation Sovereign Borders’. Paper presented at the 2018
Federation University HDR Conference Ballarat. Retrieved from www.scholaratlarge.com
Abstract:
Moral panic theory holds that when there is a heightened
campaign about a particular issue a crisis mentality develops where a scapegoat
is identified to channel public anxiety.
‘Moral entrepreneurs’ of which the popular media are prominent achieve
this. Moral panics have been the hallmark of ‘law and order’ campaigns in state
politics in Australia for many decades. The polarizing nature of the issue of
asylum seekers, which has dominated federal politics in Australia since 2001,
poses the question of whether a ‘moral panic’ phenomena has developed.
This poster explores that issue by examining the media depiction
of the Abbott Government policy ‘Operational Sovereign Borders’ a military-led
taskforce to interdict boats carrying asylum seekers.
The poster undertakes this examination through an analysis
of cartoons in The Age (Fairfax
Media) and The Australian (NewsCorp).
Whilst the portrayals in both publications were satirical, The Age tended to be more critical whilst The Australian was supportive of the policy. The dominance of these
players in the media landscape and the detrimental effects a sustained moral
panic can have on political discourse makes this an important issue worthy of
analysis.
Poster:
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