Representations of homelessness in The Australian newspaper, 2008-2012

Although homelessness is a growing problem in Australia, not everyone sees it on a daily basis and the media play a major role in the distribution of information about it. The way the media represent homelessness can have an impact, not only on audiences but also on government officials and policy makers. This paper draws on the theoretical frameworks of media representations, agenda-setting and media framing to examine The Australian newspaper's coverage of homelessness from 2008 to 2012. Findings indicate that the coverage of homelessness in The Australian during this period was overwhelmingly critical of the government and its policies. News headlines were used to frame this criticism. The findings also show that The Australian uses official sources much more frequently than it does citizens or homeless people themselves. A decline in coverage between 2008 and 2012 was also evident