Opinion: Washington Post Got It Wrong on Coober Pedy — Here's the Truth
Posted on: 2025-03-31 07:51:51
On January 31st, the District Council of Coober Pedy shared a post on Facebook inviting locals to speak with The Washington Post, saying the global outlet was preparing a story about “working in the extreme heat.” That was the first misrepresentation. What was promised as a piece on working conditions in a harsh environment quickly unravelled into something else entirely — a politically charged article that misleads its international readership and does a great disservice to the people of this town.
Instead of highlighting resilience or ingenuity, The Washington Post delivered a sensationalist portrayal of Coober Pedy as a racially divided dystopia. A story that began — allegedly — with the intent to discuss the realities of working in heat became a narrative about racial privilege, climate change, and inequality. Sadly, the reporter failed to investigate with integrity or nuance.
One local man, who spoke to the reporter in good faith, is now regrettably featured as a symbol of so-called "white privilege." He explained — truthfully — that when his day’s work becomes too hot, he returns to his dugout home for respite. A simple fact of life in Coober Pedy. But in the final article, this was twisted into a broader and inflammatory comparison, positioning him as a beneficiary of racial advantage, when in fact he was just trying to cool down — something any sensible person would do in 45-degree heat.
This is not journalism — it's agenda-driven storytelling, where complex local realities are cherry-picked to support a predetermined theme.
If the reporter had taken time to ask about this or consult local records, he might have uncovered a more nuanced truth. Instead, he chose the easier route — to frame the Aboriginal community as helpless victims of white colonial infrastructure and climate change.
In truth, Coober Pedy is a town of cultural intersections. While many non-Aboriginal residents live in dugouts, this isn't due to racial preference or privilege — it’s simply practicality. The desert climate here is brutal and underground homes provide year-round relief from the extremes. These homes are not free, easy to build, or even universally desirable. They are costly to dig and maintain, and many locals — regardless of race — do not live underground.
It’s also misleading to assume that Aboriginal people in Coober Pedy, who have adapted to harsh conditions for over 50,000 years, must now adopt the same living methods as miners who arrived just over a century ago. Aboriginal people have their own cultural ways of living, many of which don’t involve going underground. The name "Coober Pedy" itself, derived from “kupa piti,” means “white man in a hole.” That alone should have hinted to the reporter that dugout living is more a settler practice than an Indigenous one.
And yet, rather than exploring this rich cultural distinction, the Washington Post doubled down on a simplistic story of racial division — complete with photos of broken windows, unpaid bills, and sweltering elders — as if poverty and hardship don’t affect all demographics in rural Australia.
Yes, climate change (either man made or natural) is real. And yes, there are serious housing and health challenges in Coober Pedy, as there are in countless remote communities across this country. But what this town doesn’t need is a foreign publication parachuting in, distorting the truth, and turning a complex community into a clickbait headline.
We should always strive to do better for those living in difficult conditions — Aboriginal or otherwise. But improvement begins with honesty and context, not with overseas journalists reducing our community to a caricature for an audience thousands of miles away.
Coober Pedy deserves better than this. And so does journalism.
Author: Jason Wright