3.3 Methodology The Commission worked with an external research partner (RedBridge Group Pty Ltd) to conduct this research, using two integrated methodologies: l l desk-based research to provide an understanding of ‘how’ age and ageing is portrayed in the Australian media qualitative research to provide an understanding of the ‘why’ behind the themes identified in the deskbased research and to inform the way forward. (a) Desk-based research The desk-based research involved: l l a literature review of select sources around the presentation of age and ageing in Australian media a content analysis of media reportage on age and ageing, covering a wide range of Australian media outlets comprising of News Corp mastheads and TV, Nine mastheads and TV, the ABC, SBS, The Guardian Australia and The Daily Aus. (b) Qualitative interviews A total of 26 in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted. l Seventeen interviews were conducted with journalists, presenters, editors and producers. These media professionals were recruited from all major media networks including the ABC (radio, television and online), News Corp (print and on-line), Nine (radio, print, on-line and television), Channel 7, the Daily Mail, the Saturday Paper, and SKY News (television and digital). Interviewees worked in bureaus based in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, as well as regional Queensland. One interviewee was an Indigenous affairs reporter and one worked at a dedicated culturally and linguistically diverse media outlet. The gender split of these interviewees was approximately equal. l l Four interviews were conducted with academics in the media/communications space, including some who had published research about the portrayal of ageing in the media. Two interviews were conducted with senior corporate communications practitioners working in agerelated sectors – one in superannuation and one in private health insurance. l Two interviews were conducted with senior advertising practitioners. l One interview was conducted with a representative of an advocacy body working in the age sector. The views expressed by the senior advertising practitioners and age sector representative are incorporated into chapters ‘5.2 Journalists, producers and editors’ and ‘5.3 Academics’ respectively, due to their thematic consistency. (c) Limitations This research aimed to build on existing knowledge about age-related portrayals in the Australian media and provide detailed insights from within the media industry itself. For this reason, only a select review of sources and content was undertaken for the purpose of gathering key themes and background to inform the qualitative interviews. In recruiting for the qualitative interviews, the participation of media industry bodies could not be secured. Hence, while their perspectives would have been relevant and insightful to the discussions, it is absent from the research findings. While the sample of interviewees was varied and included professionals working in mainstream media, advertising, corporate communications, academia and age-related advocacy, due to the limited sample size of the qualitative interviews, the results are indicative only and should not be interpreted as representative of the views and experiences of the media industry in its entirety. Introduction 11