Tall Man Stereotypes

The Influence of Racial Stereotyping on Public Opinion

According to the MEAA, “the media’s role in society is to keep citizens informed so they can use their democratic rights effectively”. They are required to follow certain codes of practice to ensure the information does not become tainted. On the contrary, all of Australia’s major print media outlets are under the influence of either Rupert Murdoch or John Fairfax. This means that we are never receiving unbiased knowledge free from racism. Furthermore, the same bias can be found in even places associated with the opposite idea; Documentaries. In almost everyone this word invokes the idea of a factual film which can be trusted to provide an impartial insight into any given topic. However, the film “The Tall Man” disproves this concept. We can see how racial stereotyping has been used to persuade the audience into feeling that the Indigenous Australians have been directly marginalised by Chris Hurley. By skilfully using film making techniques such as; music, symbolism, sequencing and selective footage, he is able to position the audience to agree with the Indigenous Australians. The media also uses similar techniques such as evocative language, images, names and titles and space dedicated, in an attempt to sway public opinion.

These went along with voiceovers of residents explaining how happy they are making it seem like a peaceful place. In reality, Palm Island is a prison for its residents; they were forced to live there by the government which created many problems. Now they endure widespread alcoholism and accounts of domestic violence. In order to preserve the reputation of the Indigenous these facts are discluded. We only see happy children enjoying their life, which again goes against the codes of practice. The audience is unable to stay informed and make educated decisions when they themselves are not subjected to the