UNSW Expert available: taking the heat out of public discourse re Helen Haines incident

Dr Ayesha Jehangir, a journalism and communication scholar at UNSW Sydney, researches how media narratives and political communication can intensify conflict, reinforce divisions or enable spaces for understanding.

 

Drawing on her expertise in war and peace journalism, Dr Jehangir can discuss what lessons from conflict reporting can teach us about escalating political hostility in the Australian context, particularly in the aftermath of suspected political violence we witnessed in Wangaratta. She can also speak about the responsibilities of politicians, journalists, and digital platforms in shaping public discourse.

 

Dr Jehangir says:

"Political violence doesn't emerge in a vacuum, but we must be careful not to assume that inflammatory rhetoric caused any particular attack. What we do know from studying conflict and social division or cohesion is that language matters. When political opponents are repeatedly portrayed as enemies or threats, it can deepen divisions and make hostility seem more acceptable. Journalists and political leaders have a responsibility to challenge that language rather than amplify it.

 

We cannot draw a straight line between inflammatory political rhetoric and an individual act of violence. But that doesn't mean words have no consequences. Politicians, journalists and digital platforms all shape the environment in which hostility can be normalised, amplified or challenged."

 

Dr Jehangir is also currently working with a UNSW research team, in partnership with the Australian Human Rights Commission, examining online hate and racism in the aftermath of the Bondi attacks.