This chapter presents some concluding thoughts from the authors. This book has sought to address a range of issues facing risk communication around a broad spectrum of public health concerns. At the same time, it has sought to show how these issues have evolved since the first edition of this collection was published. There is little doubt that the landscape in which policymakers and managers have to communicate risk has changed. The various public groups within our societies are also exposed to more diverse forms of information flows than were present even 10 years ago. Not all of it is accurate, and individuals now need to be able to filter, interpret, and make sense of the information that they are given, in increasingly sophisticated ways.
In response to Minister Helen Coonan's discussion paper on media reform released in March, the authors survey the recent history of media ownership policy with particular reference to the Productivity Commission's visionary 2000 report on broadcasting. They argue that the present proposals fall short of the plan laid out in this report and are premature pending further development of digital media.
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