Multicultural media at a crossroads

21 February, 2013
Tertiary Education Minister Chris Bowen will join leading ethnic commentators at a conference next week (Monday 25 February) to discuss the role of multicultural media in Australias changing media landscape. Multicultural Media at a Crossroads will explore challenges currently facing ethnic media, including converging digital technologies, accessibility for ageing generations and their difficult relationship with a mainstream media in flux. To be opened by Governor of NSW Professor Marie Bashir, the conference is jointly organised by the Multicultural Media Awards, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) and the UTS Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Research Centre. Professor of Sociology at UTS Andrew Jakubowicz said ethnic and multicultural media plays a critical role in shaping democracy and cultural diversity in Australia, yet they now sit at a crossroads. Ethnic communities are increasingly helping determine the outcome of elections, yet mainstream media continues to bypass this diverse population, Professor Jakubowicz said. With issues like racism being tied to freedom of speech, ethnic and multicultural media have never been more relevant or important. The conference will be a unique opportunity to discuss both the challenges and opportunities for the future of ethnic and multicultural media in Australia, Professor Jakubowicz said. Chair of the Multicultural Media Awards, Shaoquett Moselmane, MLC, said it was important to recognize and celebrate the achievements of those journalists and institutions committed to multicultural issues. I hope our work with UTS will help to further the contributions ethnic and multicultural media make to Australian democracy, Mr Moselmane said.

Media enquiries: Professor Andrew Jakubowicz Andrew.Jakubowicz@uts.edu.au (02) 9514 2298

Issued by: Xavier Mayes xavier.mayes@uts.edu.au (02) 9514 1623 0419 293 261