Elections, Policy and the Media: Tasmania's Forests and the 2004 Federal Election

Much of the academic literature holds the media responsible for the proliferation of the game frame as a way of reporting on elections. This paper challenges that view through an examination of media coverage of forest policy in the 2004 federal election. The study of articles published in three maj...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australian journal of political science 2006-12, Vol.41 (4), p.569-584
Main Author: Hollander, Robyn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Australia
Campaign strategies
Discourse
Dominance
Elections
Elections as sporting contests
Elections: Australia
Environmental policy
Forest policy
Forests
Game frame
Game theory
Journalism
Mass media
Mass Media Effects
Media
Media coverage
Media coverage
News Coverage
Policy analysis
Political Parties
Political theory
Press
Responsibility
Sports
Surveys
Tasmania
Tasmania: Industries and resources
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Summary:Much of the academic literature holds the media responsible for the proliferation of the game frame as a way of reporting on elections. This paper challenges that view through an examination of media coverage of forest policy in the 2004 federal election. The study of articles published in three major broadsheets finds that the majority of stories were set within the game frame, which depicts elections as sporting contests, and that far fewer articles focused on the issue. The lack of interest in policy is characteristic of election reporting but, in this case, can be attributed to the way in which the major parties managed their campaigns. Not only did they drive the game frame but, as policy makers, they also determined the frame within which the limited media consideration of policy substance was set. The article concludes that political actors must take at least some responsibility for the domination of the game frame in election reporting.
ISSN:1036-1146
1363-030X
DOI:10.1080/10361140600959783