Abstract
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Looking forward, looking back
[We]’ve come a long way down the track
Got a long way left to go …
– Slim Dusty, ‘Looking Forward Looking Back’
Australian country artist Slim Dusty’s impossibly catchy song provides the title and
echoes the impulse motivating this 150th issue of MIA. As theme editors of the three
opening sections, which do indeed look both forward and back, Bridget Griffen-Foley,
Gerard Goggin and myself wanted to acknowledge the rich and varied history of MIA as
well as the exceptional work currently being undertaken in media and communications
research. Given that there is still ‘a long way left to go’, we were keen to encourage
new scholarship in the field. This issue thus marks an excellent occasion to celebrate
the considerable achievement that is MIA.