Crisis of Policy Reporting: Evidence From Australian Election Campaigns, 2001-2013

Election campaigns are highly stylised periods in politics, with the media acting as an important conduit of information between voters and politicians. But how well does news coverage inform voters about policy matters during elections? More specifically, has the quality of policy news provided by the press in election campaigns declined this century? This article examines this latter question using empirical data from five Australian federal election campaigns. It analyses newspaper coverage of tax, health and education issues during a period of economic upheaval in the Australian media landscape. Drawing upon a content analysis of 1270 newspaper articles, this study finds that newspapers published fewer detailed policy stories in latter election campaigns. The evidence suggests that there was a decline in the quality of policy reporting provided by the press between 2001 and 2013. These changes in the quality of policy journalism have broader implications for the vibrancy of debate in Australian elections.