Pauline Hanson’s anger towards reporters who question her preferred narrative was on full display during her National Press Club appearance on Wednesday. She shouted she would never again speak to Guardian Australia after insulting reporter Sarah Martin, who asked about the employment of the senator’s daughter. Hanson then vowed to defund SBS and the ABC, spitting anger at the media.
The media union condemned Hanson’s attack on Martin, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said parties that seek to exclude media organisations or cut public broadcasting are misguided.
Not Just Trump-Inspired
This behaviour is not solely inspired by US President Donald Trump. For 30 years, controlling news coverage has been vital to Hanson’s political ambitions and ego. One Nation, the party she founded, revolves entirely around her voice and her ability to speak for some Australians. Any distraction—such as factual reporting—undermines her appeal.
Hanson gets angry intentionally, hoping voters interpret her self-protection as courageous defiance of media “elites.”
A History of Media Manipulation
Hanson emerged as a media manipulator in 1996 when she won the federal seat of Oxley. She harnessed the fairytale of a humble fish-and-chip shop owner defeating the major parties through grit and integrity. News outlets eagerly sought her words and images, often overlooking that she had been disendorsed as a Liberal candidate due to racist comments. Her previous non-fast-food roles were rarely mentioned.
At the 1998 election, she switched from independent to head of One Nation. There was some conviviality between her team and reporters. Margo Kingston of the Sydney Morning Herald and this reporter, then with the Daily Telegraph, found a photo of ourselves with Hanson on a One Nation website, as if we were supporters. The photo was removed after Kingston complained.
Two Decades Out of Parliament
Media manipulation did not secure her return. It took 20 years before Hanson re-entered federal parliament as a Queensland senator. In the interim, she was dumped by her own party, jailed for 11 weeks on electoral fraud charges (later overturned), and suffered repeated election failures—all reported with little sympathy.
When elected to the Senate in 2016, Hanson abandoned any pretence of friendliness with reporters. She relied almost exclusively on friendly outlets like Sky News, especially “Sky After Dark,” to spread her “I’ve Had A Gutful” message and demand a homogenised Australia.
National Press Club Appearance
Her first Press Club lunch suited her aggressive approach. There were no follow-up questions, and coverage was straightforward. But the blow-up with Guardian Australia signals that Hanson, like Trump, has decided she will approve or disapprove of reporters and free speech.
Her tactics are working for now, but voters will demand more accountability in an election year.
