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ISSN: 1329-878X |
Professor Henry Mayer
MIA was first published in 1976 by the Media Information Research Exchange (MIRE) as Media Information Australia. Established by Julie James Bailey, the then Head of Research at the Australian Film and Television School (later the Australian Film, Television, and Radio School), the Information Research Exchange was a co-ordinating body of representatives from research departments in non-commercial organizations working in the media. Henry Mayer managed the Media Briefs sections and ‘matters relating to content only’ for the first six issues of MIA, and acted as the journal’s editor from May 1977-February 1978. In Volume 7, February 1978, when announcing that the Film School was taking over the publication of MIA from MIRE, Julie James Bailey acknowledged Henry Mayer as one of the major factors in helping MIA to survive to that point, writing that ‘his voluntary and unfailing efforts [which had] provided the whole of the contents of the [first] six issues – a tour de force which only Henry Mayer could have achieved’. Over the next few years Henry was variously chairman of the editorial board, editor of books and the international section, and academic editor. He became the editor in his own right in August 1984, a role which he fulfilled until his death in 1991. This description fails, however, to describe the vast amount of work that Henry did: writing hundreds of reviews of books and periodical for each issues, gathering information for his Read and Noted section, soliciting articles, writing articles, keeping track of current research, maintaining a huge network of contributors, and editing the content. Under his editorship, MIA established itself as the most prestigious journal of its kind in Australia, and was regarded internationally as the definitive source of quality contributions on current debates about Australian media and communications. Henry Mayer’s boundless energy, his immense knowledge on an eclectic range of subjects, and his extensive list of contacts in all areas of the media and in educational and research institutions ensured that the hournal remained current, relevant and on the cutting edge of media studies in Australia. Given this context it is easy to understand how difficult it was to continue publishing the journal after Henry Mayer’s surprise death in May 1991. There was no single person who could possibly achieve as much as Henry had done. A group of seven editors was brought together who would encompass the range of Henry’s knowledge—Stuart Cunningham, Murray Goot, Elizabeth Jacka, Deena Shiff, John Sinclair, Rodney Tiffin and Peter B. White. With changes of orientation in the Film School in 1997, MIA needed to find a new institutional home. This home was provided in Brisbane by the Australian Key Centre for Cultural and Media Policy which was based at Griffith University and jointly managed by the University of Queensland and the Queensland University of Technology. Gillian Swanson took over as editor in 1998 for 2 issues and later in 1998 Graeme Turner became editor. He was later succeeded by Helen Wilson, who was editor until May 2006, when the role was taken over by Gerard Goggin. With the wind-up of the Australian Key Centre for Cultural and Media Policy MIA shifted its institutional location in 2004 to the School of English, Media Studies and Art History and the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies in The University of Queensland. In November 2008 MIA moved again, this time to the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Queensland, while maintaining its connection with the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies.
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Media International Australia (MIA) was the brainchild of Professor Henry Mayer (1919-1991). From its beginnings until his death in May 1991 it was his consuming passion.