The report, Corporate Paedophilia
Sexualisation of children in Australia from The Australia Institute has received worlwide coverage this week and, from what I have read, much of it sensationalised. After hearing reports about Total Girl and Barbie Magazine were presented as evidence I wondered what that makes newsagents. Should we take the titles off our shelves?
Looking to get behind mediocre reporting I read the report last night. While I disagree with some points, it is entirely appropriate that the report is authored and published. Poor reporting by some media outlets denies sections of the public from understanding the core thesis of the report.
It is unfair to target a single corporation or magazine title as being guilty of ‘corporate paedophilia’ ever if the label is used as a metaphor. The problem needs to be considered as a whole – magazine content coupled with online content, TV programs, fashion advertising and even news reports in a variety of media. As the paper says in its summary: There has as yet been no sustained public debate about the sexualisation of children in
Australia. For this to happen we need more thorough reporting, beyond the screeching of the last few days.