Recovering a radio ethos: how John Curtin created conversational spaces with journalists, 1941-1945

Article

Coatney, Caryn M.. 2016. "Recovering a radio ethos: how John Curtin created conversational spaces with journalists, 1941-1945." Global Media Journal: Australian Edition. 10 (2).
Article Title

Recovering a radio ethos: how John Curtin created
conversational spaces with journalists, 1941-1945

ERA Journal ID35349
Article CategoryArticle
Authors
AuthorCoatney, Caryn M.
Journal TitleGlobal Media Journal: Australian Edition
Journal Citation10 (2)
Number of Pages12
Year2016
Place of PublicationPenrith, New South Wales
ISSN1835-2340
Web Address (URL)http://www.hca.westernsydney.edu.au/gmjau/?p=2921
Abstract

Australia’s wartime prime minister John Curtin developed a radio ethos to convey public appearances of a credible prime ministership during the Pacific war. Curtin’s ethos of intimacy was obscured in the post-war consensus of mass communication as an impersonal form of address from a political leader to the audience. He elevated journalists’ role to portray more public views of the prime minister conversing with citizens as peers. This paper uses newly discovered archives that delve behind the scenes of his broadcasting production. His radio ethos is useful for the study of journalism’s role in communication spaces that appear to bridge a divide between a leader and citizens.

Keywordsradio journalism; broadcast journalism; fifth estate; government-media relations; mass communication; John Curtin
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020470105. Journalism studies
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Byline AffiliationsUniversity of Southern Queensland
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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