Voices of asylum: An exploration of the role of radio in the asylum-seeker debate

Abstract

This paper examines the ways radio news and current affairs in Australia contribute to public discussion on asylum-seeker/refugee issues, and considers the range of alternative perspectives being presented by community radio. This is achieved through a focus on the types of sources used in news and current affairs programming. A pilot content analysis study was conducted alongside interviews with key stakeholders involved in community radio broadcasting, including station managers, broadcasters, journalists and producers, to tease out some of the issues mentioned above. The research aims to introduce community radio into the academic debate surrounding news media representation of asylum seekers and refugees which has, to date, been neglected.