Academics who saw ageism as a problem in the media, said they wanted to see more depictions of older people living their lives in ordinary ways, as part of society and their community. For example, stories of older people engaging in new romance or volunteer work, as opposed to stereotypical portrayals, such as of an older person coming to terms with the death of a spouse. These interviewees were particularly concerned about negative depictions of older people with dementia, both in the media more broadly and specifically in the context of coverage on the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety (Royal Commission). While acknowledging the importance of the Royal Commission coverage, the interviewees noted that ‘so many pictures of people locked up and abused’ has made people ‘really scared’ of the ageing process. It was also seen to highlight a crucial problem, in that the media will only report on the ‘worst cases’ as only those were considered newsworthy. While smaller, regional outlets were observed to often cover ‘happy stories’ about local aged care services, it was considered that such stories would ‘not fly in Greater Sydney media.’ (e) Absence of age in the diversity and inclusion landscape Interviewees acknowledged that there was lack of age diversity within the media industry and that this lack of diversity was reflected in the absence of older Australians in media representations, with the ‘white pensioner archetype’ still dominating media narratives around ageing. Greater diversity in representations was seen as necessary to reflect the rapidly changing composition of Australian society. (f) Examples of best practice in media portrayals of ageing While there were differing views on what the media gets right in depictions of ageing, most academics interviewed agreed that better representations tend to be found on the ABC, SBS or in The Guardian. These media outlets were described as doing ‘a reasonable job’ and having ‘balanced depictions of ageing.’ ‘There have been some beams of light on ABC and SBS [that have challenged] some of the myths and stereotypes.’ There was also acknowledgement that there is more interest and coverage of ageism compared to five years ago. It was noted that Ageism Awareness Day, received good coverage and there is now considerable scholarly research on the topic, as well as guides on how to avoid ageism and ‘othering’ through descriptors such as ‘senile’ and other derogatory terms. Other commentary about positive media portrayals noted: l l l a rise in positive representation of older women, where women’s ageing bodies are seen as something to be celebrated rather than ‘something to be reviled’ better representations of Indigenous Elders, which assists with countering the ‘white pensioner’ archetype more accurate representations, such as depictions of older parents living ordinary lives in the ABC TV series ‘Fisk.’ (g) Conclusion Despite differing views on whether ageism is a problem in Australian media, there was agreement among the academics interviewed that media coverage of age/ageing should be about ‘life stage’ as opposed to simple ‘numerical approaches’, and that we must ‘stop clumping older people together.’ It was noted that throughout one’s life, there can be ‘periods where people are unwell or have a disability’ but it is ‘really important for people to understand that older people can be happy and productive ... and a huge asset in the workforce.’ 34 Shaping Perceptions: How Australian Media Reports on Ageing