Dr Kitty van Vuuren
University of Queensland
The role of the independent community press in the management of water
Over the past few years Australia has faced severe drought conditions, with the mass media urging residents to adopt efficient water use practices, as well as promoting technical solutions such as desalination plants, ground water extraction, and the construction of more dams. The management of water resources, however, is a politically charged issue that affects some local communities more than others. This paper presents the results of a content analysis of the community press, examining the discourse of water management at the local geographical level. The research has revealed a largely unnoticed proliferation of local independent community print media, ranging from weekly tabloids to monthly A4 newsletters, often produced by non-professionals, sometimes accompanied by a website, and typically distributed in small communities of around 1,000 residents. To date, Australian research has found that regional and local media tend to avoid publishing controversial issues, although they have an important community integration function. However, this research reveals that local voices are anything but silent, and often highly critical of government policies.
Biography
Dr Kitty van Vuuren is a University of Queensland Postdoctoral Fellow, at the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Her research interests are community media, democracy and the environment.
Email:K.vanvuuren@uq.edu.au