“If you’ve got a big mouth and you’re controversial, you’re going to get attention.”

In todays society we are completely surrounded by controversy. We breathe it in every time someone airs their opinion. It is consumed by our lungs, our brains and our hearts. We become so passionate, and so invested in these issues, that we lose sight of reality and forever wear our rose-coloured glasses.

The Daily Telegraph has promoted the issue of gender inclusiveness, as it reported “Campbelltown Council will consider more inclusive language on its forms for those who don’t identify as male or female”. The issue of gender division has become highly controversial in very recent times, and from public bathrooms to formal documents, people are urging the government to provide gender inclusive options for those who do not conform to a specific gender.

Newspapers are always advertising controversial topics, and in doing so they spark public debate. However, it has been suggested that newspapers are no longer a ‘commonly used’ source for providing information the public. The new generation would rather express their opinions and complaints on social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, which has become the new ‘public sphere’.

Arguably though, I found this news article through Facebook, as the Daily Telegraph communicators (and many other news papers), are very prompt in uploading current news articles. In my opinion, this makes news papers much more accessible to the community, as we can stay updated on several current issues. Furthermore, we don’t have to travel to the local shops to purchase a hard paper copy of the news which was likely to have been printed yesterday.

It is also important to consider that although the Daily Telegraph is only a local news paper, its ability to publish reports on international media platforms allows it to have a much greater impact on society. This is supported by the fact that the news report I have chosen discusses an issue of national importance. The Australian census has already included the option of ‘other’ in its survey, and so Campbelltown Council is being urged to follow suit.

I think the significance of this text is how it positively contributes to the debate occurring in the ‘public sphere’. It provides a voice of reason, authority and action. In a public sphere that is inundated by opinion, we need this authority to differentiate between people being ignorantly bias in their comments, and those who genuinely understand the reality of the issue and aim to create a logical and beneficial outcome.

That’s all for tonight, but I will be back again soon enough!

<http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/macarthur/campbelltown-council-will-consider-more-inclusice-language-on-its-forms-for-those-who-dont-identify-as-male-or-female/news-story/5b7477323664a622d2853be01b5b93e4&gt;