Global Media Journal - Australian Edition - 5:1 2011 1 of 3 of the Most Valuable Contributions of the Book
Tanner, Lindsay - Sideshow: Dumbing Down Democracy Scribe Publications, Melbourne, 2011, pp. 232, ISBN 978-1-921844-0605 Reviewed by Myra Gurney It has been said that the media doesn’t tell readers what to think, it tells them what to think about. The role of the media in the public conversation about politics is the central thesis of this recent book by Lindsay Tanner, recently retired ALP member for Melbourne and widely respected Rudd government Finance Minister. In the twenty years since UK Minister for Trade, Lord Young, remarked that, “policies are like cornflakes, if they are not marketed, they will not sell”, there has been a noted shift in the public discourse around politics, and politiciansthemselves have become the commodities to be marketed and sold by their parties at the behest of their media advisors. New forms of media have meant that the enactment of politics itself has become shaped by the needs and imperatives of the 24 hour news cycle which in turn is increasingly shaped by commercial imperatives. Political parties are now thought of as brands which operate in the marketplace of public opinion which must be sold in digestible, visually engaging chunks and 30 second soundbites tightly crafted to fit the formula of the evening news, and policy is increasingly being shaped by focus groups. More broadly, globalisation and the rapid evolution of new forms of digital media are having a major impact on traditional media business models and media worldwide is undeniably in a state of flux. The role of journalism, and of journalists, is being challenged, with some, such as US media scholar Robert McChesney, arguing that objective journalism is in serious decline because of what he refers to as “commercial carpet bombing” (151).
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