Sideshow: Dumbing Down Democracy
Written by former Australian Labor Party federal minister for finance Lindsay Tanner, this insider's perspective demonstrates how media coverage of Australian politics is becoming distorted, trivial, and juvenile, and it argues that this change threatens democracy. Showing how the Australian media has been under siege from commercial pressures and technological innovation, this work shows how the media has retreated into an entertainment frame that has little tolerance for complex social and economic issues. In turn, this exploration shows how politicians and political parties are adapting to