MDA | Race Reporting Handbook The "Towards Fairness: A Multicultural Australia for All" report highlights that inclusive media helps shape national narratives, representing Australia's multicultural society and promoting accurate portrayals of different cultures to combat stereotypes. When done poorly, the media can spread misinformation, fuel discrimination, and negatively impact belonging. These guidelines aim to promote integrity and inclusivity in journalism. By acknowledging the historical and contemporary realities of colonialism and migration, journalists can better represent Australia’s diverse society. Graphic credit: 'Towards Fairness: A multicultural Australia Reort' GUIDING PRINCIPLES 1. Understand Bias and Language Choices: Bias can be a favourable attitude, where we form positive impressions based on for example, someone’s skin colour, surname, or ancestry. Or it can be unfavourable, with negative impressions. We all hold biases of some kind and our brains are wired to hold biases as a survival mechanism. These cognitive shortcuts helped our ancestors quickly identify | CHAPTER 01 threats and make fast decisions. Today, however, these shortcuts can lead to biases that misguide our perceptions and actions. Because we know this, it’s important that we commit to identifying our own biases, but more importantly, to address them through anti-racist action: • Be mindful of your own biases and their influence on reporting, especially on race-related issues. Recognise these biases to make conscious language choices that avoid stereotypes and instead centre the perspectives and 14