Politicians and observers alike in Western
democracies watch with growing dismay the cynicism
that pervades the electorate in response seemingly
to any political initiative,regardless of its merit
and from whatever side of the political spectrum it
may originate.All too frequently, government
announcements are dismissed as just more spin .
Meantime, the party faithful despair that media
strategies have taken precedence over ideological
principles;that courting the media has become more
important than(or synonymous with?) serving the
public interest.Although empirically demonstrated
that white adult males are responsible for most
crime in Perth s premier entertainment precinct,
the Labor State Government introduced a
curfew targeting indigenous youngsters.Denounced
privately by the newspaper editors as a cheap
political shot that made a bit of a headline ,the
curfew was nonetheless applauded in their editorials
for making the precinct safer.This behind-the-scenes
examination of the interplay between government and
media will interest academics, government policy-
makers, media professionals and anyone concerned
with race relations.
democracies watch with growing dismay the cynicism
that pervades the electorate in response seemingly
to any political initiative,regardless of its merit
and from whatever side of the political spectrum it
may originate.All too frequently, government
announcements are dismissed as just more spin .
Meantime, the party faithful despair that media
strategies have taken precedence over ideological
principles;that courting the media has become more
important than(or synonymous with?) serving the
public interest.Although empirically demonstrated
that white adult males are responsible for most
crime in Perth s premier entertainment precinct,
the Labor State Government introduced a
curfew targeting indigenous youngsters.Denounced
privately by the newspaper editors as a cheap
political shot that made a bit of a headline ,the
curfew was nonetheless applauded in their editorials
for making the precinct safer.This behind-the-scenes
examination of the interplay between government and
media will interest academics, government policy-
makers, media professionals and anyone concerned
with race relations.