Multicultural media is essential for public interest journalism.
How this media engage communities at times of crisis and their relationship with the government will be discussed at a forum on March 22 from 9 am to 1 pm at the Greek Centre, Lonsdale Street, Melbourne.
Kosmos Samaras, Anthea Hancocks, and Dr Bulent (Hass) Dellal AO are keynote speakers. There will be two panels with publishers, journalists, and researchers.
Mr Samaras from Red Bridge Group is a strategist and polling specialist. He focuses on how governments must communicate to multicultural electorates. He will use examples where government failed to communicate, such as during the Yes campaign for a First Nations Voice to Parliament.
“Both politicians and corporate Australia risk overlooking a significant audience by solely relying on mainstream platforms. They may miss an opportunity to effectively engage with diverse segments of the population who may pay closer attention if messages were delivered through appropriate channels,” Mr Samaras said.
Dr Dellal will also speak. The Executive Director of the Australian Multicultural Foundation and Chair of the Australian Multicultural Council was also the former chair of SBS. Recently, he chaired the Commonwealth Government’s Multicultural Framework Review.
“Multicultural media are essential in communicating with and representing diverse communities. As Chair of the Multicultural Framework Review Panel, we sought IMMA’s views and other media to ensure the media ecology is inclusive and can inform a Multicultural Australia,” Dr Dellal said.
The CEO of MPC, Nick Richardson said he was “delighted to partner with IMMA for an important discussion about the role our vibrant multicultural media plays in Victoria.”
“This forum is a great opportunity to highlight the issues, talk about strategies and build connections around public interest journalism’s vital place in our diverse communities,” Mr Richardson said.
Vivienne Nguyen AM, the chair of the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) and event sponsor, said it is “critical that the multicultural communities are informed timely and with accurate information to minimise disinformation and misinformation.”
“The forum is also providing opportunities for potential collaboration in media diversity and representation,” Nguyen said.
The Gandel Foundation sponsors the MPC Quills Multicultural Affairs and Media Award and this event. The CEO Vedran Drakulic OAM said the Gandel Foundation has a long-standing commitment to enhancing social cohesion and inclusion and helping strengthen our multicultural society.
“Multicultural media plays a vital role in that context and is arguably the most critical link to their communities, especially in crises or challenges society faces,” Mr Drakulic said.
“In addition, and crucially, multicultural media play an integral part in helping create understanding, connections and build bridges – all of these are why Gandel Foundation is proud to support this event.”
Entry is free, and catering, including morning tea and lunch, is included. Book via Humanitix.
Supported by the Gandel Foundation, the Victorian Multicultural Commission, and the Greek Community of Melbourne. A Melbourne Press Club and Independent Multicultural Media Australia event.
