Failure to launch

Political communications expert Andrea Carson joins Mark and Marija to discuss the performance of the media during the Voice referendum and why the ‘yes’ campaign struggled to get off the ground.

How did support for the Voice fall 20 per cent in a year? Was a failure to agree on effective, targeted messages in early 2023 the reason for the ‘yes’ campaign’s downfall? And were journalists too focused on providing equal airtime to both sides of the debate and not proactive enough in calling out false and low-quality claims? On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Professor of Political Communication and award-winning former journalist Andrea Carson at joins Professor Mark Kenny and Dr Marija Taflaga to discuss the future of Australia’s political debate after the Voice’s defeat.

Andrea Carson is a Professor of Political Communication in the Department of Politics, Media and Philosophy at La Trobe University.

Marija Taflaga is the Director of the ANU Centre for the Study of Australian Politics and a Lecturer at the ANU School of Politics and International Relations.

Mark Kenny is a Professor at the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the University after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times.

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This podcast is produced by The Australian National University.

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