Thoughts on Lecture 10

Yesterday's lecture was on media agenda. Bruce explained there were three other agenda's: corporate agenda, public agenda and political agenda. All of these agenda are obviously interrelated, but can also manipulate each other. For instance, the corporate agenda may influence the political agenda to sway the public agenda. Like how big fossil fuel companies allegedly influence senators and congressman in the American government so as to convince their constituents that America's energy independence is more important than green sustainable energy. The same can also be said for green-energy companies who allegedly do the same but for the reverse affect. In both of these examples, the corporate agenda can therefore be summed up to profits and the political agenda can be the financial incentive of allying themselves with these corporations.

Now agenda sounds like a bad thing, but you can agree with an agenda. Like how I agree with the same-sex marriage agenda. In the US their are pro-gay lobby groups who try to influence politicians using the same unethical methods used anti-gay lobby groups such as making large campaign contributions. There are many portions of the public who have an agenda, so the support lobby groups who influence politics.

This is where the media comes in because the corporations, politicians and the public need it to spread their agenda further. The national discourse of Australia can be swayed by the media quite dramatically. Such as how live-export wasn't that much of an issue before Four Corners made an exposé on the poor treatments of  livestock when sent to other countries. If Four Corners never did that, the corporations (livestock traders and animal groups), the politicians and the public would never have a prominent discussion on this issue.