Reporting the Election

Abstract

Joe Murphy, who followed the campaign as a print journalist with a major newspaper, draws comparisons between this and other general elections he has covered. His chapter contrasts the ability of the press to cross-examine leading politicians in previous races with the rather sterile and highly controlled experiences of 2015. In doing so he notes how once traditional campaign devices such as the news conference have been largely abandoned or, in the case of the battlebus, become pretty much redundant for correspondents seeking meaningful access and answers from the leaders they have been assigned to follow. Murphy also reflects on the successes as well as the failures of the rival parties to connect with the public via the mass media opportunities afforded them.