As a "new Australian", one of the things that I marvel at in an otherwise wonderful country is the way that the general public and - more significantly -the beurocracy, both revere and are driven by the media.
In most places that I have lived (including places where the media is heavily "controlled"), sensible people have a healthy scepticism of print and TV news. In Australia, rather sadly, news and news programmes (including so called "investigative journalism") have mutated into a cross between "infomercials" and outright sensationalism clearly designed with the main aim being to sell more newspapers / improve TV ratings etc. Journalists thrive on "patterns" with the serial killer being much more juicy and newsworthy than an equal number of singular murders. If patterns don't really exist, pretending that they do is the next best thing.
If you're a new Australian, then this should be compulsory viewing.
ruprecht.