Now that we have presented an analysis of the broadcast and post-broadcast eras, it is important for us to be able to apply these ideas to the world around us. To do this, we have chosen to contrast the media culture, largely focusing on news broadcasting, in two nations: Australian and Malaysia.

Australia is representative of a nation whose media industry is dominated by a post-broadcast way of thinking, whilst also attempting to keep some of the finer values from the broadcast era. This benefits our nation in many ways, with Government initiatives such as the Australian Content Standard ensuring that Australian culture and media industry is fostered and maintained at all times, requiring a minimum of 55 per-cent of programming to be Australian made. Our media industry can be regarded as one which successfully applies developing models of communication and broadcasting, often allowing a diverse audience to be reached at all times in a method which allows them control over the media that is presented to them. This allows the Australian public to ‘have their say’ and hold influence over domestic issues in a more direct manner. Take for example the now canned show ‘Can of Worms’, a talk show which asks three Australian celebrities who make guest appearances each week to comment on social issues, ranging from serious commentary on Australian politics to silly or even raunchy topics.

The show has an element of audience interaction, with the fans of the showing providing questions and responses each week on social media. These are then shared during as the guests discuss their views on each topic. The show works in a way which allows any level of criticism or support on the ideas that may or may not be held in our society, political topics often providing some of the most insightful moments. The show is indicative of the way Australian broadcasting is regarded, open minded and audience inclusive.

The role of the Australian Government in the media is also a unique one, as they maintain a level of control over the quality of the media and some of the content provided with their national broadcast channels (ABC and SBS), but also enforce broadcasting standards and the classification rules. Censorship does not occur in Australian broadcasting, meaning that media broadcast in Australia is not interfered with for any reason. With such a diverse range of content being provided in the form of news broadcasting, the audience are able to form fully realised understandings of news stories that are free from bias. This runs parallel to the ideas we introduced when defining the post-broadcast era way of thinking, which gives less power to Government messages.

We compare this to Malaysian media, which is in a complex situation due to the level of control the Government holds over it. We hold that although Malaysia has access to post-broadcast technology, due to the level of control the Malaysian Government holds over the broadcast media its nation is one which still represents the values that were held in the broadcast era.

In 2014, Malaysia was ranked 147th in the Worldwide Press Freedom Index by ‘Reporters without Borders’. It was also given a ‘Partly Free’ status on the ‘Freedom in the World’ report by Freedom House in 2008. There are a number of factors that have caused Malaysia has reached this level of so called media oppression.

Firstly is the impossibility of accessing unbiased media in Malaysia. Using any means of accessing media that is not approved by the Government is considered a crime. In terms of broadcast media, the ownership of satellite receivers other than those provided by the Government body Astro is illegal, unless a license is provided. However, these licenses are incredibly difficult and expensive to attain, making them largely irrelevant to the majority of Malaysian citizens.

More importantly is be the growing issue of censorship in Malaysian media. Malaysia has one of the world’s strictest forms of media censorship, with nearly a hundred movies banned in this decade alone on the pretext of upholding morality. Even the internet, which can be thought of as the most pure form of democratic media, is not safe from censorship, with a number of websites critical of the Malaysian Government being blocked from Malaysian users. An example of this can be found from a BBC news broadcast made in May of 2014, in which the Malaysian Government tampered with the information reported before broadcasting their own version to the nation. This was weeks after the original broadcast, which reported on a Malaysian rally which demanded electoral reform.

The video above presents this case, demonstrating that the Malaysian broadcast omitted two short interviews with protesting citizens who made disagreeable comments towards the Government. Another section which revealed the riot police firing tear gas and chemical-laced water at the protesters was also censored.

Due to way the media is used in Malaysia, it is clear that it shares many characteristics which define it more closely to a broadcast era society than post-broadcast. It can be said that mainstream media in this nation is entirely coalition government owned. For example, the most popular news program in Malaysia, Buletin Utama is broadcast every night, but its content is limited in only discussing government related news items in what must be a positive or neutral manner, never in a dismissive or questioning tone. This is one of the key factors that holds back Malaysia from being considered a true democratic country, as the audience here are purely told what to think at all times, without being allowed any form of input or debate. It can be said that the rise of social media is helping the cause, growing rapidly in Malaysia as audiences discover how to use it for its democratic potentials, but the process is slow and does not have the same level of reach as broadcast media does. This is dangerous, and so closely resembles the archaic ways of thinking that media theorists envisioned almost 80 years ago with the bullet theory/hypodermic needle theory. This presents a stark contrast to the Australia media, which treats the audience as active members of the media process, in that they can interpret and disagree at all levels of news media.

These different approaches to broadcast media in each nation has largely different effects. Malaysian citizens wish for a more transparent media relationship with the public that other nations may hold. For this reason, the post-broadcast era is one which can be representative values such as equality and honesty with the media and the audience. Australian media is not perfect, but the mere fact that criticism is allowed is such a big part of creating a less controlled media industry.