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March 22, 2006
The Commonwealth Games in Melbourne have underperformed everywhere. That is the word on the street.The exception is the cultural nationalism. If the Games are staged as a nationalist competition, then they provide a strong platform for representing nationality. Hence we sporting nationalism. And Channel Nine has been hot to trot on this.
Swinburne University's senior lecturer in media, John Schwartz, said local coverage of the Commonwealth Games had been ridiculously nationalistic. International athletes were marginalised and those stepping up to collect their medals are just cut off.
Mr Harnden, presumably a Channel Nine spokesman, rejected complaints about the television coverage:
Australians are very parochial and the media is obviously following that. But crowds in all of the venues, have absolutely cheered on everybody.
That contradiction indicates that Channel Nine are constructing nationalism, just as their news breaks between the Games events construct crime.
What we see here is the workings of langauge and power--pumping up the hero Aussies by Channel Nine to increase the ratings, and then use the increased audience to charge more for advertising. It's all pump pump pump. I presume the audiences are not there and the advertisers feel as if they've been short changed.
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