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Policing Media: Controlling Representations of the New South Wales Police Force

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Policing Media: Controlling Representations of the New South Wales Police Force POLICING MEDIA: CONTROLLING REPRESENTATIONS OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES POLICE FORCE Alyce Michelle McGovern A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Western Sydney 2008 Acknowledgements The completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of many important people. First and foremost I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisors, Dr. Murray Lee and Elaine Fishwick, the best supervisors I could have ever asked for. Not only did they provide fantastic advice and feedback throughout the course of my thesis, but they have also been great mentors and wonderful friends. I could never thank them enough for all the time and effort they have put into helping my throughout my candidature, and I am forever indebted to them for this. I am also thankful for the support I received from the University of Western Sydney, the staff within the School of Social Sciences, and especially Associate Professor Moira Carmody and Dr. Michael Kennedy, who have both been of great assistance at various stages of the project. I also wish to thank my PhD colleagues at UWS for their friendship and support: Natalie Scerra, Lynette Aitken, Chris Cole, Peri O‟Shea, Joanne Cummings, Kelly Richards and Janette Welsby. Thanks also to my current colleagues at Charles Sturt University for the encouragement. There are many others who have helped guide me through to the end of the tunnel with friendship and assistance: Thouraya Battye, Christine Kerr, Brian Gordon, Andrew Scott, Brooke Dinning, Jenny Wise, Kriss Marel, Michael Krilic, Richard Woolley and Leanne Weber. You have provided me with feedback on my work, listened to me whinge about my thesis incessantly, and assisted me in getting out of the house to experience some form of a social life! For this I am truly grateful. I also need to thank those who participated in the fieldwork component of the thesis: the journalists, police representatives, and other individuals who agreed to interviews and shared their insights with me. Without their knowledge and opinions, I would not have had such rich data to work with. Finally, and above all, I wish to thank my parents Robert and Roslyn, and brother and sister, Christopher and Kimberley. Whilst you may not have always understood what I was doing (and why I took so long to do it!) you have always been very supportive and I wish to thank you all for helping me get through to the end. Your backing has always been important and much appreciated. I also cannot forget my cat Millie, who has kept me amused with her insane ways. Statement of Authentication The work presented in this thesis is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, original except as acknowledged in the text. I hereby declare that I have not submitted this material, either in full or in part, for a degree at this or any other institution. ………………………………………….. (Signed A. McGovern) Contents ACCOMPANYING NOTE ..................................................................................... IV LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................... V LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................. VI LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................... VII ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................... VIII INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 THEORETICAL CONTEXT ................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................ 11 LITERATURE IN THE FIELD OF POLICE-MEDIA RELATIONS: AUSTRALIAN PERSPECTIVES .......................................................................... 12 WHAT THE AUSTRALIAN LITERATURE REVEALS .................................................... 41 INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: RESEARCH INTO THE FIELD OF POLICE- MEDIA RELATIONS, MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICES AND THE PEOPLE WHO STAFF THEM ............................................................................................... 42 POLICE-MEDIA RELATIONSHIPS INTERNATIONALLY ............................................... 42 POLICE MEDIA UNITS AND THEIR STAFF ................................................................. 67 WHAT THE INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE REVEALS ............................................... 90 CHAPTER TWO: RESEARCH DESIGN: EPISTEMOLOGY, METHODOLOGY AND METHOD ...................................................................... 93 RESEARCH QUESTION(S) AND HYPOTHESIS .............................................. 94 RESEARCH PROBLEM .............................................................................................. 94 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................................................................ 95 EPISTEMOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................... 98 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................... 98 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK .................................................................................. 101 Existing Literature: Theory and Analysis ........................................................ 102 METHOD ............................................................................................................... 111 DOCUMENT ANALYSIS .......................................................................................... 114 The Process ...................................................................................................... 115 Advantages and Limitations of Documentary Analysis ................................... 120 KEY STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS .......................................................................... 122 Sample .............................................................................................................. 124 The Process ...................................................................................................... 129 Advantages and Limitations of Key Stakeholder Interviews ............................ 132 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS ................................................................................... 136 RESEARCH IN A COMPLEX ENVIRONMENT: THE NSW POLICE FORCE .................. 136 Negotiating Access to the NSW Police Force Media Unit: A Personal Research Experience ........................................................................................................ 137 i CHAPTER THREE: BACKGROUND TO THE NSW POLICE MEDIA UNIT .................................................................................................................................. 153 THE EMERGENCE OF THE NSW POLICE FORCE: COLONIAL CONCERNS ........................................................................................................... 153 ESTABLISHING A CONVICT COLONY ..................................................................... 155 Centralisation ................................................................................................... 160 THE NSW POLICE FORCE ................................................................................ 161 THE NEW SOUTH WALES POLICE MEDIA UNIT: HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT .................................................................................................. 163 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................... 163 THE 1940S TO THE 1960S: EARLY BEGINNINGS .................................................... 165 THE 1970S: A „NEW LOOK‟ PUBLIC RELATIONS BRANCH .................................... 175 The Lusher Inquiry ........................................................................................... 179 THE 1980S AND BEYOND: GREATER FOCUS AND ACCOUNTABILITY ..................... 183 THE POLICE MEDIA UNIT OF TODAY ..................................................................... 193 CHAPTER FOUR: THE INESCAPABLE POLITICS OF LAW AND ORDER .................................................................................................................................. 197 THE POLITICISATION OF FEAR .................................................................... 198 POLITICS AND THE POLICE ........................................................................... 205 POLITICS AND THE NSW CONDITION ......................................................... 211 THE STATE AND CRIME CONTROL: POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ACTORS: SPOT THE DIFFERENCE ........................... 223 THE RHETORIC OF THE POLICE MEDIA UNIT ......................................................... 224 CHAPTER FIVE: ‘TAMING THE SYSTEM’ ................................................... 227 THE NSW POLICE MEDIA UNIT: THE ‘TAMED’ AND THE ‘TAMER’ .. 228 THE POLICE MEDIA UNIT AS INFORMATION FILTER, SIPHON AND GUARDIAN ............................................................................................................ 231 THE GATEKEEPERS ............................................................................................... 240 THE FILTERS ......................................................................................................... 248 CRITICAL REPORTAGE ..........................................................................................
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