Assessing the Knowledge Ecologies of Media Policy: the Case of Content Classification

Abstract

This paper considers the role played by statutory bodies such as the Australian Law Reform Commission as case studies in knowledge brokering, or the bringing together of academic knowledge and policy knowledge around areas of public concern. It reflects upon the author's own experience as Lead Commissioner of the National Classification Scheme Review, where areas of knowledge that would not seem immediately relevant to policy-making, such as Michel Foucault's concept of governmentality, can be brought to bear upon debates about media classification and censorship.

Keywords: classification, censorship, Michel Foucault, knowledge brokering, knowledge ecologies

JEL Classification: P16, P48, H11