The announcement of the Federal Government’s proposed media inquiry has been met with confusion and rejection.

While the government says the inquiry is necessary, the opposition has called it a political stunt and some media organisations are uncertain about what it will achieve.

Raisa Sugandi reports.

TRANSCRIPT

The Federal Government says the inquiry will look at the effectiveness of current media codes of practice as well as looking at the role of technology in journalism.

Senator Stephan Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy: “What this inquiry is about is insuring that under the technological changes, the pressures that newsrooms are facing – all of you here will understand – that the pressures in the newsroom, in the 24/7 media cycling are bringing about many changes. And so, this is to look at what is happening at the moment and into the future as those pressures increase.”

The opposition has rejected the proposal.

Malcolm Turnbull, Shadow Minister for Communications and Broadband: “This is just a political stunt by a government that is bitter about being criticised by the media, in particular News Limited.”

The Murdoch-owned newspaper The Courier-Mail is concerned about the inquiry’s potential outcomes.

Michael Crutcher, Editor of Courier Mail: “If it’s regulation of print media I guess that’s something we’d be very reluctant to see because it’s something that has not worked with any success anywhere in the world.”

Media analysts are also sceptical and confused about the narrow scope of the inquiry.

Susan Hetherington, Journalism Lecturer at QUT: “Why have a media inquiry that is really only a print inquiry? It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

The inquiry is expected to hand down it’s findings in February next year.

Raisa Sugandi, QUT News.