The Australian Human Rights Commission has highlighted the discrimination experienced by African-Australians in contemporary Australia - through media representations, and the adverse effects of such discrimination. A critical challenge for any society is the search for social justice, a core dimension of which concerns the promotion of belonging, a sense of feeling a part of society. An innovative research based journalism training initiative for Sudanese-Australians has been developed to...

Over the past decade or so, there has been renewed interest in the question of happiness. Happiness studies, a multi-disciplinary field which combines insights from psychology, economics, politics and the natural sciences, has attempted to create a ‘science of happiness’. Although a relatively new field, happiness studies has attracted generous research funding. In the United States, for example, over the past decade, the US National Institute of Mental Health has handed out around $226...

Charles N. Davis is an associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism and the executive director for the National Freedom of Information Coalition, (NFOIC), headquartered at the School. In March this year, he was named the Scripps Howard Foundation's Journalism Teacher of the Year. Davis' scholarly research focuses on access to governmental information and media law. He has published in law reviews and scholarly journals on issues ranging from federal and state freedom of...

Dan Brown's books mightn't be the best example of literature, but surely it has to have it's good points. Dr Chris Scanlon of La Trobe University's media department has some good things to say about it... or at least, the success it generates. Copyright 2009 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

"Snuff" might not be the best‚ film produced in the Americas in the 1970s, but it may be the decade's most important worst‚ film. Rumoured to show the actual murder of a female crewmember in its final moments, its notoriety consolidated the urban legend of snuff film. The snuff film legacy has manifested across a broad range of media, from fictional snuff narratives like "Vacancy" (Nimród Antal, 2007) and "8mm" (Joel Schumacher, 1999), to fuelling rumours about the appearance of real‚ snuff...

Sue Turnbull discusses the Australian television rating system, and the high rating dramas 'Underbelly' and 'Packed to the Rafters'. You can read a transcript for this podcast at http://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2009/podcasts/whats-rating-with-sue-turnbull/transcript Copyright 2009 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Sue Turnbull of Media Studies discusses remaking comedy sitcoms in different countries, such as 'Kath and Kim' and 'The Office'. You can read a transcript for this podcast at http://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2009/podcasts/remaking-comedy-with-sue-turnbull/transcript Copyright 2009 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Chris Scanlon explains why celebrities like Wayne Carey are just a product a sick culture http://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2008/podcasts/celebrity-culture/transcript Copyright 2009 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.