By Erin the Employer
It appears the silly season has begun, or is about to begin.
No, not Christmas – something infinitely more silly, the Election season. The other season of giving, more precisely of bribing you with your own money.
In 2010, we are privileged. We not only have one of these spendathons, but two, a State and Federal election in close tandem, due around the end of 2010.
The signs are already apparent. The Victorian Government allegedly reversing its earlier decision to export cleaner brown coal in a quest for inner-city green votes. The shameless use of the climate change issue by the Federal Government as a means to wedge the Coalition. The exotic utterances of some Federal Coalition Shadow Ministers on much-needed foreign direct investment and immigration.
The role of the media during the upcoming period bears closer examination. From early 2010, observe the way that non-partisan policy debates will suddenly be seen through the prism of party politics.
Kevin Rudd became Labor leader at about this time of year in 2006 – 4 December to be precise. Thereupon followed a phoney election campaign for around ten months before the real one was called.
During this period, any sensible discussion of issues such as industrial relations was seen as `being partisan’ or `taking a side’ in the election campaign.
With the rise of online media and the obverse decline of its traditional cousin, competition for stories is becoming more and more intense. I am willing to be proved wrong, but `gotcha’ journalism will be the order of the day in 2010.
I would be interested to know your thoughts on the issue.
