Representing Australianness: Our National Identity Brought to You by Today Tonight

Since first being broadcast in 1995, Today Tonight has become one of Australia's most watched current affairs programs. It has also arguably become one of the most talked about and controversial programs on Australian television. This article explores the links between Today Tonight and discourses of Australian identity. By placing this program within a theoretical tradition that views television as a cultural storyteller, this article explores the complex and somewhat contradictory representations of the Australian identity made by the Today Tonight text. It will argue that, throughout a range of representations - from the discourse of the 'Aussie battler' to contrasting depictions of Australian society under threat and in decay, or as a place of opportunity - Today Tonight maintains a steady focus on 'ordinary Australians' as its main target audience and the bearers of our true national identity.