Media research has long given special attention to the notion of a 'gatekeeper'. With established mass media the gatekeeper came in many guises, as a managing editor, copy editor or in some cases a lawyer, each of whom could influence (or decide) what got published and in what form. Or even decide that material would...

Evidence of rising rates of overweight and obesity in Australia has generated considerable discussion about potential policy responses and solutions. In relation to childhood obesity, one suggestion that has been put forward is to ban or restrict junk food advertising to children. Debate about the merits of such a proposal was an enduring issue in...

The report encourages advertisers, the media and the fashion industry to promote more positive body image messages. The report includes a Voluntary Industry Code of Conduct on Body Image which recommends using healthy weight models, realistic and natural images of people and disclosure when images of people have been digitally manipulated. The report also recommends...

This report provides a comprehensive snapshot of young people’s use of electronic media from early childhood through to teenage years, and parents’ views about that media use. New findings from 2007 are included for 3 to 4 and 7 to 8-year-olds from the Australian Institute of Family Studies’ Growing Up in Australia; The Longitudinal Study...

For all its faults, it’s a miracle that it exists. But it could be a whole lot better, writes Rodney Tiffen on our partner website, INSIDE STORY.