ABSTRACT
This chapter evaluates the history and current state of the relationship between the media and politics in Australia. The growth of political communications is linked to the emergence of democratic polities, the rise of mass communications media and the development of techniques for the management of public opinion – public relations. The mediatization of politics is facilitated by wider trends in society and culture, the media, and politics. The view was strongly put that political spin was surpassing policy substance, leading to what Maxine McKew termed "intellectual laziness", and politicians being reluctant to share their own views with the public for fear of being "off message". In noting the prevalence of spin, there was also commentary about its limitations. The chapter argues that the process of political communication can be conceived as a dance with partners, and that spin can only work to the degree that it is not effectively challenged by journalists or by politicians themselves.
