Young citizens, values and new/s media

The adaptation of market segmentation to political communication is identified here as a neglected explanation for why young people often figure in popular political debates as both the cause and symptom of declining social values and civic participation. New media also contribute to public anxiety because they enable new forms of mediated civic engagement and disrupt the capacity of transmission media to bind nations. Declining engagement with news media is used as an index of young peoples' lack of civic-mindedness but, as research surveyed and reported here shows, this trend away from orthodox news forms is apparent across all age groups, not just youth. This article makes the case for public debate, informed by research that addresses the substantive problems of transforming democracy

Immoral and un-Australian: the discursive exclusion of welfare recipients

This article argues that exclusionary representations of welfare recipients constructed in the speeches of Australian politicians have facilitated the implementation of punitive welfare measures and that these representations have significant implications for recipients’ moral identity and standing. Representations of welfare recipients in political speeches have constructed them as a threat to the economic and moral wellbeing of ordinary Australians. The paper uses critical discourse analysis to analyse the speeches of Howard Government ministers and compares them with recent speeches by Prime Minister Julia Gillard