Not biting the hand that feeds?: Media reporting of government advertising in Australia

Abstract

In 2004, in the months leading up to the federal election, the Howard government spent over AUS$30 million on government advertising. The author of this article, as a critic of high government advertising spending, was regularly quoted in media accounts at the time and was therefore a participant in the events she describes (Young, 2004a, 2004b, 2004c, 2004d). However, it was the opponent Labor Party which, believing itself to be disadvantaged, was most vocal in criticising the government's pre-election advertising, arguing that it was an attempt to sway public opinion in order to gain an early electoral advantage. The Labor Party used a number of media management techniques to try to ob..