Politics, Media and Democracy in Australia: Public and Producer Perceptions of the Political Public Sphere PDF
Preview Politics, Media and Democracy in Australia: Public and Producer Perceptions of the Political Public Sphere
Politics, Media and Democracy in Australia In Australia, as in many comparable democracies, the role of the media in the political process is high on the public agenda. There is a percep- tion of widespread disillusionment with and disengagement from politics amongst voters, and criticism of the medias for failing to fulfil their democratic responsibilities adequately. This book evaluates public per- ceptions of the performance of the political media in the context of the declared aims and objectives of media producers. From there the authors present findings for improving the capacity of political media to engage and inform their audiences in ways which enhance the quality and pop- ular legitimacy of the democratic process. These conclusions are of im- port not only to Australians, but to observers of mediated politics in the UK, the US and other countries where similar debates around the ‘crisis of public communication’ are ongoing. Brian McNair is Professor of Journalism, Media and Communication at Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Terry Flew is Professor of Media and Communications at Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Stephen Harrington is Senior Lecturer of Journalism, Media and Com- munications at Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Adam Swift is Research Fellow at Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Routledge Research in Cultural and Media Studies For a full list of titles in this series, please visit www.routledge.com. 95 Subjectivity across Media Interdisciplinary and Transmedial Perspectives Edited by Maike Sarah Reinerth and Jan-Noël Thon 96 The Rise of Transtexts Challenges and Opportunities Edited by Benjamin W.L. Derhy Kurtz and Mélanie Bourdaa 97 Explorations in Critical Studies of Advertising Edited by James F. 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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data CIP data has been applied for. ISBN: 978-1-138-77942-6 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-77131-1 (ebk) Typeset in Sabon by codeMantra Contents List of Figures vii List of Tables ix Preface xi Acknowledgements xv PART I Theories and Frameworks 1 1 Introduction to Politics, Media and Democracy in Australia 3 2 The Politics–Media Relationship in Australia: Spin, Political Communication and the Mediatization of Politics 31 3 The Insiders and their Critics 52 PART II Mapping the Australian Political Public Sphere 81 4 Mapping the Australian Political Public Sphere: The Press 83 5 The Audio-Visual Public Sphere 111 6 What the People Think: A Qualitative Evaluation of the Australian Public Sphere 137 7 More Questions than Answers: Public Participation Programming in Australia 165 vi Contents 8 Outsiders: Infotainment and Hybridization in the Australian Political Public Sphere – The Project, Kitchen Cabinet, Gruen Nation 184 9 An Evaluation of The Political Public Sphere in Australia: Conclusions and Key Findings 206 Appendix 1: Sequence of Focus Groups 213 Appendix 2: Interview Schedule 215 Bibliography 219 Index 233 List of Figures 1.1 Daily Telegraphfront page, ‘Australia Needs Tony’ (author screenshot). 7 1.2 Julia Gillard on Q&A, May 2013. 7 1.3 The globalized public sphere: an expanded model. 23 3.1 UK general election turnout 1945–2015. 54 3.2 Normal distribution of voters (‘Bell Curve’). 63 3.3 Global media consumption 2010–17. 70 3.4 Australian media consumption 2010–17. 70 4.1 Top 10 contributors by gender, The Australian. 98 4.2 Total columns and articles, Sydney Morning Herald. 99 4.3 Article type, Sydney Morning Herald. 100 4.4 Column inches by article type, Sydney Morning Herald. 100 4.5 Top 10 contributors by gender, Sydney Morning Herald. 101 4.6 Numbers of items by gender from 1996 to 2013, SydneyMorning Herald. 101 4.7 Column inches by article type, TheCourier-Mail. 102 4.8 Column inches by article type, The Australian. 102 5.1 Political public sphere programs, total for final fortnight of federal election (includes election night coverage). 114 6.1 Insiders. 154 6.2 Kitchen Cabinet. 159 7.1 Q&A. 170 8.1 ‘Something we should talk about’, with Waleed Aly. 191 This page intentionally left blank List of Tables 3.1 US voter turnout to presidential elections 1960–2012 54 4.1 Demographic profile of Australian journalists 1992–2013 96 4.2 Top 20 sources of online journalism in Australia 107
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