Is the term ‘bias’ useful to understanding the media?

Moreover the hunt for bias may serve to hide from serious examination the nature of the relationship between media and politics as both become ever more subject to the demands of 24 hour news and tyranny of the 'refresh' button.

With the proliferation of media platforms and demands on content there is, and there looks little doubt that it will become ever more so, a continuing symbiotic relationship between media and politics.

This is described by some as the 'mediatisation of politics' where both need each other, both have become dependent on each other and both are in antagonistic positions with each other.

The problem then might be more usefully framed along the lines of what is the extent and manifestation of this mediatisation of politics?

What are the extent of these relationships in media, economic and political institutions and what are the results of these relationships in political and media discourse?

To answer this question would mean examining the depth of involvement and influence of the Australian media and sections of the Australian media in both day-to-day politics and the operation of government and policy.

One way to approach this is to separate media into the symbolic and the institutional.

In respect to the institutional the inquiry may ask questions about the extent of the relationship between media, politics and business. To what extent are these powerful influential institutions economically and politically entwined?

In respect to the symbolic this would involve examining the nature of news sourcing and coverage. What are the evolving demands of 24 hours news content in multi platform media? What are the media, commercial, political and audience demands and in what forms have these influenced news coverage and news presentation?

For example what do the demands of 24 hour news mean for political news coverage. Clearly while there is humorous truism that there are exactly enough events that happen in a day to fill a daily newspaper the this would seem to have reached its limit.

In broadcast and print news alongside stories of events is an increasing amount of commentary and discussion about what those events mean. Much of this is taken up with speculation, predictions and discussion about what an event might mean for the future. Indeed this forum is a product of that proliferation.

This speculation culture is on an industrial scale especially concerning politics where entire programs and reams of commentaries and websites are devoted to pondering and discussing what the possible implications of an event (or even a possible event) are.