Waleed Aly

For "Media in a Globalised World" we were asked to choose an Australian media performer, product or brand. Having limited knowledge of the very successful Waleed Aly I decided to delve into his career and unpack how globalisation has impacted him. The following analytical essay aims to do just that.

There is no doubt Australia is part of the globalised world. As a result, the media and its journalists live and work within an international sphere that has seen social and cultural factors impact traditional identities. Waleed Aly is an example of an Australian media performer who has been affected by this global shift, known as globalisation. An extensive discussion of his profile as a journalist, academic and lawyer which, draws on highly relevant research, will establish how this shift has changed him over his lifetime. Through an in depth analysis of 9/11, specifically looking at the change in attitudes towards Muslims, the impact of the white-faced Australian media, with questions raised over multiculturalism and diversity, as well as his lack of social media use will determine how globalisation has impacted Aly’s success. His future within the media will also be considered using the concepts and trends associated with this universal change.

Image courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald.

Born to Egyptian parents in Victoria, Australia in 1978, Waleed Aly is a qualified lawyer and engineer, grew up as a Sunni Muslim and has been on the executive of the Muslim Council of Victoria (O’Malley 2011). He is also an author, a politics lecturer within the Global Terrorism Research Centre at Monash University and has worked for both the ABC and SBS (Monash University 2016). Known as “a frequent commentator on politics, international affairs and Islam,” Aly currently co-hosts Network Ten’s news and current affairs program, The Project (Kalina 2014). He attributes its success to finding the right conversational balance, something no one else has managed to do on Australian television (Kalina 2014). He has an editorial impact on the show and discusses highly relevant issues from a contrarian angle as he opposes popular opinion and adds different insights into controversial topics.

Although he never intended to become part of the media, he felt a distinct pull to writing. In his words, “there was a need for it” (O’Malley 2011). In 2005, the Walkley Foundation commended him for his Fairfax columns as a result of their contribution to public commentary, analysis, opinion and critique (O’Malley 2011). He was also awarded with the 2016 Gold Logie for Best Personality on Australian Television and used his win to speak about the need for diversity in the Australian media. Waleed Aly is particularly idolised in the Muslim community, showing aspiring academics it’s possible to be a public Muslim figure without causing suspicion (O’Neil 2014). Linking these definitive moments in Aly’s career to key trends directly related to globalisation will explain how cultural convergence, migration and glocalisation have influenced his success.

According to Tomlinson (2007, 352) “globalisation is a multidimensional process, taking place simultaneously within the spheres of the economy, of politics, of technological developments – particularly media and communication technologies – of environmental change and of culture”. Essentially, it is a complex development of interconnectivity on an international scale. In terms of culture, globalisation impacts national identities as the world connects and it becomes unclear how to differentiate particular nationalities and cultural norms. This interpretation is known as cultural imperialism where there is a fear of Americanisation or Westernisation (Tomlinson 2007, 353). It is a common speculation which leans itself to the idea of a single global culture. However, “few would dare to claim that the effects of globalisation currently extend in any profound way to every single person or place on the planet” (Tomlinson 2007, 355). This leads to deterritorialisation, which refers to the impacts distant events, processes and relationships have on local modern cultures (Appadurai 1996). It refers to certain activities, such as Googling, in affluent societies being unappreciated and as a result seem trivial to be deep cultural transformations (Tomlinson 2077, 361). Regardless of the triviality, the impact certain events have on the world is undeniable with 9/11 seen as pivotal event in the world’s history.

“9/11 is shorthand for four coordinated terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda, an Islamist extremist group, that occurred on the morning of September 11, 2001” (9/11 Memorial 2016). The attacks killed 2,977 people and occurred in various locations in America, with the main target being the World Trade Centre in New York (9/11 Memorial 2016). It was the largest coordinated terrorist attack to take place in the world and saw a global change in attitudes towards Muslims. According to Waleed Aly, in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald (O’Malley 2016), “9/11 was a watershed because your social existence as a Muslim Australian changes basically overnight. At that point you go from a position where your predominant experience is one of racial difference and ethnic difference to one where you are now presumed politically malignant, threatening”.

After the events of September 11 Aly explained that Western Muslims were being forced to defend their faith from links with terrorism (Aly 2014). This had ramifications on an international scale with the media, police and security forces increasing the “extent of anti-Muslim or ‘Islamophobic’ hate crime, racial vilification and discrimination” (Poynting and Perry 2007). In 2003 the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) began an investigation into the increase of this animosity faced by Arab and Muslim Australians (Goel 2010). The study found anecdotal evidence suggesting a rise in Islamophobia as 47% of the respondents reported their communities being ridiculed in the media (Poynting and Perry 2007).

The events of 9/11, and the backlash that followed for Muslim Australians, show how globalisation has impacted the world. Despite Australia’s distance from the United States, Muslims felt the manipulation as a direct result of cultural convergence and deterritorialisation. For Waleed Aly, his status as a Muslim in the media meant he was directly affected by this and, due to his educational upbringing, was in a position to provide balance to the public conversation. This is still happening today as he shares his insights from a Muslim perspective. Through one of his recent editorial contributions to The Project, he waded into the Sonia Kruger debate over the banning of Muslims in Australia. Instead of encouraging the outrage, he spoke of construction and how Australians should aim to deal with their fears (News.com 2016). Moving from this idea of cultural convergence to migration will provide a further understanding of Waleed Aly’s contribution to the white-faced Australian media.

According to the National Geographic (2005) migration is the “movement of people from one place in the world to another for the purpose of taking up permanent or semipermanent residence, usually across a political boundary”. It is essentially the move from one country to another and directly relates to Waleed Aly as his parents emigrated from Egypt (Doreian 2015). Australian migration then leads to multiculturalism, which is described as “cultural and ethnic diversity” (Department of Social Services 2014). However, this idea of bringing together different nationalities and cultures is open to critique, as Aly explained in an interview on a political paper he wrote in 2011. He said he has read critical views where multiculturalism fails to “respect cultural minorities” giving migrants “a negative form of recognition” (Parliament of Australia 2011). When asked if it was “hard to be an Australian Muslim” he said the challenge was “to change the tide of political conversation to one that recognises … dual authenticity is possible” (Parliament of Australia 2011). The lack of ethnic diversity and dual authenticity in the Australian media is an obvious negative form of recognition.

“Journalists from minority groups have historically had difficulty breaking into the (Australian) journalism profession” leading to the inability to “have a voice in the mainstream media” (Forde 2005). This was discussed in great detail after Waleed Aly was the first non-white winner of the prestigious Gold Logie in the awards 57-year history. He used his acceptance speech to speak about the need for diversity on Australia television screens sparking the conversation about the white-faced media. This highlighted that the journalism and television industry encourages people to hide their identity in order to access opportunities. “Commercial TV doesn’t reflect the diversity of this nation” (Neutze 2016). The ABC’s Media Watch (2016) did a story on his win comparing the faces on prime time television and found “a sea of white”. The most recent national study of Australian journalists found almost 85 percent were of British and Irish decent compared to 2.5 percent which described themselves as Asian, Middle Eastern or other (Forde 2005).

The need for diversity on Australian television screens shows how the attitudes towards multiculturalism and migration still need to improve. Through the interconnectivity of globalisation Australia has access to ethnic and cultural individuals and should capitalise on that. Waleed Aly is leading the way in changing these opinions showing all minority groups it’s possible to become a figure in the media. He has achieved this success without the use of social media, which goes against the grain of technological communicative globalisation.

Sociologist Roland Robertson coined the term glocalisation in the 1980s as he stated, “glocalisation means the simultaneity – the co-presence – of both universalising and particularising tendencies (King 2016). This trend leans itself to localising international products but can also be directed towards the media. As the world globalised, the proliferation of new communication tools began, establishing the power of social media (Jallow 2015). This is “the instantaneous nature of information that is helping to create the media world as we know it today” (Jallow 2015). According to Komito (2001), social media also has a particularly large effect on the migrant community, as they use communication platforms to stay in contact with their country of origin. This is unique to Waleed Aly as he is a son of migrants but refuses to take part in the online world of social media.

With a dominant presence within the Australian media landscape, he is the only member of The Project without social media and is “quite passionate about not being on it” (Willis 2015). He says the world of online communication can be dangerous, leading him to betray his job and being swayed by popular opinion. Aly believes if something massive breaks on Twitter someone will simply tell him about it (Willis 2015). However, there is no denying the impact of social media as the latest statistics show a 17 percent growth in active mobile users in the last year (Chaffey 2016). Although Aly personally refuses to engage online, his editorial videos, shared by The Project’s social media, have seen countless engagement and have gone viral.

Despite his disengagement, Twitter has been described as “an essential mechanism to breaking news quickly and concisely” (Hermida 2010). It is now a form of communication critical to a journalist’s individual brand and online identity. “Though we do not know yet the future role of global journalism and social media, … we can assume that its influence will only grow over time” (Jallow 2015). This could have adverse affects for Waleed Aly if he continues to keep a strict stance on social media. Although he has a large presence in the Australian media landscape, if he were to pursue an international journalistic role may find it difficult without social media exposure.

Waleed Aly is a successful Australian media performer shaped by several globalisation trends. His profile as a journalist, academic, lawyer and engineer gave insight into the pivotal moments that have shaped his career. It seems he fell into the media sphere, adding immensely to the public debate surrounding politics, international affairs and Islam. The analysis of 9/11 and the change it brought to attitudes towards Muslims, show how cultural convergence and deterritorialisation have directly influenced Aly. Likewise, his upbringing from emigrant parents and the impact of the white-faced media, demonstrates Australia’s resistance to accepting diversity and multiculturalism as he leads the way in changing public opinion. His lack of social media has also been heavily discussed and may be a weakness if the online world continues to grow exponentially. Ultimately, through an understanding of Waleed Aly’s career through links made to globalisation trends, it is evident that globalisation has impacted him and will continue to do so well into the future.

References

9/11 Memorial. 2016. “FAQ about 9/11.” Accessed August 31, 2016. http://www.911memorial.org/faq-about-911

Aly, Waleed. 2014. “Misunderstanding 9/11.” Accessed August 31, 2016. http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2012/09/11/3587603.htm

Appadurai, Arjun. 1996. “Modernity At Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalisation.” Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Accessed August 31, 2016. https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=4LVeJT7gghMC&oi=fnd&pg=PP11&dq=deterritorialization+and+globalization&ots=6NWGmEYaEi&sig=YTs_NQCEBXfxKg6lb__bLOkmkR4#v=onepage&q&f=false

Chaffey, Dave. 2016. “ Global social media research summary 2016.” Accessed September 2, 2016. http://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research/

Department of Social Services. 2014. “What is Multiculturalism?” Accessed September 1, 2016. https://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/settlement-and-multicultural-affairs/programs-policy/a-multicultural-australia/national-agenda-for-a-multicultural-australia/what-is-multiculturalism

Doreian, Robyn. 2015. “Two of us: Ahmad and Waleed Aly on growing up in Australia.” Accessed September 1, 2016. http://www.smh.com.au/good-weekend/two-of-us/two-of-us-ahmad-and-waleed-aly-on-growing-up-in-australia-20150520-gh5zgw.html

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Goel, Deepti. 2010. “Perceptions of Immigrants in Australia after 9/11.” Economic Record 86, (1): 596-608. Accessed August 31, 2016. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-4932.2010.00651.x

Hermida, Alfred. 2010. “Twittering the News.” Journalism Practice 4, (3): 297-308. Accessed September 2, 2016. doi: 10.1080/17512781003640703

Jallow, Alagi. 2015. “The emerging of global journalism and social media”. Global Media Journal 13, (25): 1-10. Accessed September 2, 2016. http://gateway.library.qut.edu.au/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1764687096?accountid=13380

Kalina, Paul. 2014. “Waleed Aly takes permanent role at The Project.” Accessed August 31, 2014. http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/waleed-aly-takes-permanent-role-at-the-project-20141212-125vl0.html

King, Andrew. 2016. “KCB106 Media in a Globalised World: Week 5 Lecture Notes.” Accessed September 2, 2016. https://blackboard.qut.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-6471118-dt-content-rid-6829201_1/courses/KCB106_16se2/Week%205%20-%20Globalisation%20and%20Advertising.pdf

Komito, Lee. 2011. “Social Media and Migration: Virtual Community 2.0.” Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 62, (6): 1075-1086. Accessed September 2, 2016. doi: 10.1002/asi.21517.

Media Watch. 2016. “Australian TV news whitewash.” Accessed September 1, 2016. http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s4463445.htm

Monash University. 2016. “Waleed Aly.” Accessed August 31, 2016. http://monash.edu/research/explore/en/persons/waleed-aly(d63705c6-f57f-490e-8a70-de104c344e06).html

National Geographic. 2005. “What is Human Migration?” Accessed September 1, 2016. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/09/g68/migrationguidestudent.pdf

Neutze, Ben, 2016. “Waleed Aly’s Login Win is not a Moment for TV Industry Self-congratulation.” Accessed September 1, 2016. https://dailyreview.com.au/waleed-aly-saved-2016-logies/41993/

News.com. 2016. “‘Sonia Kruger isn’t evil’: Waleed Aly calls for a stop to the cycle of outrage.” Accessed August 31, 2016. http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/sonia-kruger-isnt-evil-waleed-aly/news-story/5968a1a4746c85b683212966b614c3f4

O’Malley, Nick. 2011. “Nothing in Moderation for Waleed Aly.” Accessed August 31, 2016. http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/nothing-in-moderation-for-waleed-aly-20101231-19c0j.html

O’Neil, Lorena. 2014. “Susan Carland and Waleed Aly, Australia’s Muslim Power Couple.” Accessed August 31, 2016. http://www.ozy.com/rising-stars-and-provocateurs/susan-carland-waleed-aly-the-muslim-brangelina/31594

Parliament of Australia. 2011. "Multiculturalism, Assimilation and the Politics of Terrorism." Accessed September 1, 2016. http://www.aph.gov.au/~/~/link.aspx?_id=55ABE2C094A74E8090EC756F1FFC60D2&_z=z

Poynting, Scott and Perry, Barbara. 2007. “Climates of Hate: Media and State Inspired Victimisation of Muslims in Canada and Australia Since 9/11”. Current Issues in Criminal Justice 19, (2): 151-171. Accessed August 31, 2016. http://search.informit.com.au.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/fullText;dn=916517996995845;res=IELAPA

Tomlinson, John. 2007. “Cultural Globalisation.” In The Blackwell Companion to Globalisation, edited by George Ritzer, 352-366. n.p.: Blackwell.

Willis, Charlotte. 2015. “Project co-host Waleed Aly: ‘Why I’m passionate about not being on social media’.” Accessed September 2, 2016. http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/project-cohost-waleed-aly-why-im-passionate-about-not-being-on-social-media/news-story/f90d2ff7a1b7fbd50fdac822c48741e2

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