English

• Sky News' humiliation of Keegan Payne is a lesson for the media on 'balanced' storytelling
• Opinion piece published


  03/05/2024
• Olivia Cleal: 'People often compare storytelling in journalism to a set of scales. It's a fair comparison, to an extent. Part of the job as a journalist is ensuring readers, viewers and listeners of the media hear the full story – and all sides of it. For many, good journalism is balanced journalism.'
• Sky News prides itself on "real news", "honest views" and hearing "all sides of the debate"
• Peter Stefanovic's interview with Keegan Payne

  Proved that sometimes this perceived standard of balanced reporting can do more harm than good
• Stefanovic's interview with Payne

  1. Payne sharing his fishing competition win

  2. Stefanovic abruptly shifted to a years-old allegation that Payne stole vehicles

  3. Payne forced into a remorseful apology

  4. No longer a celebration of his win, but a public display of stereotype
• Sky News issued a statement saying they and Stefanovic had apologised to Payne and his family
• Most of the country has rallied around Payne and called out Stefanovic for his reprehensible behaviour
• Mainstream media upholds the view of telling the full story and balancing perspectives
• When a woman dies from male violence

  Media will report the alleged perpetrator's background to "balance" the story, distracting from the real issue of male violence against women
• Balancing the story completely and quite literally erases the woman
• Sky News felt the need to twist Payne's feel-good story

  To include a scoop from "the other side of the story" with potentially harmful racial stereotypes, rather than simply celebrating his success
• Mainstream and legacy media was built on a culture where a man's story is believed over a woman's, and the history of First Nations peoples is rarely spoken
• It has never been more important for Australians to expand their media consumption and look to independent media sources to hear nuanced, feminist and truly balanced storytelling
• Hearing the voices of underrepresented people is the only way we can tip the scales and restore balance in our media
• What is the contention


  The media's attempts at 'balanced' storytelling often cause more harm than benefit
• Who is the target audience?


  Underrepresented people, readers/viewers/listeners of NEWS, feminists
• What is the issue of this article?

  Attempts of media presenting a 'balanced' story often causes more harm than benefit
• What is the event of this article?


  Keegan Payne fishing win
• What is one of the arguments of this article?

  Sky News embarrassed Keegan Payne, showing the risks of trying to be balanced in reporting
• What is one of the arguments of this article?

  Sometimes, trying to show both sides of a story can backfire and cause harm.
• Identify a persuasive technique


  Contrast,emotional appeal,evidence,critical questioning,appeal to ethics,call to action
• What effect does contrast have on the audience?


  This technique fosters skepticism about the media motives,urging the audience to look deep