They Walk Among Us

John Philp
Nov 1 · 4 min read

By John Philp

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eth·nic
/ˈeTHnik/
Adjective. Relating to a population subgroup (within a larger or dominant national or cultural group) with a common national or cultural tradition.

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I’ve lived in America for three decades now, but I still consider myself Australian. Very. I’d even venture to say I’m a proud member of what’s been called the “koala mafia”, a large but tight-knit group of Australians, many of them in high-profile or creative industries, who all support one another.

It’s an abysmal descriptor really, but it has a ring of truth. I work as a journalist and filmmaker in New York City, the media capital of the world, where I meet plenty of Australians in related fields. And when I’m looking for collaborators, they’re often the first people I turn to.

Australians occupy the upper echelons of media and entertainment in the U.S. at a level that might surprise many Americans. Melbourne-born mogul Rupert Murdoch and his children have the controlling share of two media companies, News Corp and Fox Corporation, that own, among other entities, Fox News, the Twentieth Century Fox movie studio, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and Harper Collins books.

Beyond the Murdochs, former Australian TV reporter Dylan Howard now heads American Media Inc., publisher of Star, US, OK, Mens Journal and InTouch, among other titles. (Howard may not last much longer though; recent controversies have left his reign in doubt.) Lifestyle and magazine guru Vanessa Holden, former editor of lifestyle bible Martha Stewart Living, came of age in the Australian magazine world. Then there’s the countless bold-faced names: Hugh Jackman, Russel Crowe, Cate Blanchett. Need I go on?

But the enviable status many Australians in certain industries enjoy is the result of privilege.

Take my industry as an example. Most Australians in journalism and documentary are white, like me. The majority are male. They speak English as a first language. Some of them studied at the same elite institutions as their American counterparts. In other words, we blend in at most media outlets, which are also overwhelming white and still skew largely male. We might be outsiders, sure. Foreigners, even. But white Australians are never described as “ethnic”.

According to demographers, Caucasians are the overwhelming majority in Australia. And by definition (the one above, anyway), being the dominant group means you’re not part of an ethnic group. But it’s different for many other groups and nationalities. Once they reach America they quickly become “ethnic”, whether they were a majority or minority at home.

Jehangir Khattak, Co-Director, The Center for Community and Ethnic Media

This stark reality was brought home to me this week by Jehangir Khattak, the Outreach Director for the Center for Community and Ethnic Media (CCEM), headquartered at CUNY’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. CCEM brings minority and ethnic media together with mainstream media outlets and the public.

Speaking to a Social Journalism class, Khattack said the very reason an “ethnic media” exists is because the media is overwhelmingly homogeneous. “People who have some media background saw that the newsrooms aren’t diverse and decided, ‘It’s better to have my own voice’,” Khattack explained.

Ethnic media outlets often face dizzying financial realities, and many “are struggling to find a way of telling their story”, Khattack said. But they continue to publish because nobody else is telling their story. “These communities want to showcase themselves, showcase their history, their achievements,” he added.

Australians in America don’t have a distinct media identity. There’s no single source of news for Australians living here, no must-read newsletter or helpful digest of relevant happenings. No Daily Didjeridoo or Brooklyn Boomerang.

Perhaps that’s the price Australians pay for what we get in return, cozy integration into the journalistic mainstream. We’re the country cousins, not well understood, but a definite part of the family. And so we have the option to call on our “background” only if it’s helpful. In my work on gun violence, for example, I often play up my Australian-ness, because that inferred distance from the issue gives my contacts license to talk more freely.

But if we are to have a robust and sustainable media environment then everyone needs to be at the table. Legacy media organizations would benefit from partnering with ethnic media representatives, and making their newsrooms more diverse.

Maybe then everyone in the media can enjoy the privileged status Australians currently enjoy.