How are podcasts shaping the 2025 Singapore election narrative?

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Because the federal election marketing campaign reaches its midpoint, patterns in media protection and public consideration are starting to shift. Early social engagement was pushed by cost-of-living pressures, vitality coverage, and political point-scoring, however has waned following the primary leaders debate, regardless of this discussion board offering leaders the chance to set the agenda and techniques of the foremost events. So how has protection focus developed because the first debate and are audiences nonetheless partaking with the marketing campaign or switching off?

Social media engagement forward of the federal election has been sharp and private. It centered much less on coverage and extra on id and illustration. From debates on matters reminiscent of  immigration to housing stress and tradition, social media has pushed a values-first narrative. However whereas early consideration  was sturdy, each media protection and social engagement have began to wane within the weeks because the marketing campaign launched. The primary leaders debate briefly reignited consideration—belief, id, and media—however protection patterns recommend a shift away from each day blow-by-blow reporting in direction of broader social and cultural tensions.

Because the federal election marketing campaign nears its midway mark, final week’s media highlights present a contest nonetheless struggling to chop by. Key moments included the primary chief’s debate, the Treasurers Debate, the vitality showdown on the Nationwide Press Membership, and Senator Jacinta Worth’s Perth look with Peter Dutton, which drew consideration for its MAGA-style rhetoric.  The primary leaders debate was billed as an opportunity to reset the race—however for a lot of viewers, it strengthened present divides. Media consideration across the debate momentarily lifted visibility for all main events—however the spike was short-lived. The one get together that has seen continued will increase in social media engagement is the Liberal Get together. The Liberal Get together’s sustained rise in social media engagement could also be linked to its digital-first technique, together with an AI-generated marketing campaign advert spruiking a gas excise minimize and a meme-style diss monitor concentrating on Anthony Albanese—techniques designed to seize on-line consideration and drive shareability.

The Liberals additionally pitched a $1200 tax minimize, Labor attacked their WFH backflip, and the Greens pushed housing and tax reform. In the meantime, Dutton warned of a Labor-Greens-Teal alliance. Protection suggests public engagement is pushed extra by polarising moments and political theatre than detailed coverage.

When the election marketing campaign formally kicked off, cost-of-living pressures dominated the information agenda. Recent off the again of the federal funds, it’s no shock that inexpensive healthcare, decrease fuel and vitality costs, and tax cuts had been the important thing messages get together leaders needed to land with voters. However protection rapidly pivoted. Up to now week, international diplomacy—significantly how every chief would handle Donald Trump—has surged in prominence. Whereas Trump’s function in tariff threats has made headlines, his affect on the broader election narrative goes past commerce. Media reporting has more and more centred on Albanese and Dutton’s capability to navigate a possible Trump presidency, with ideological alignment, nationwide safety, and financial fallout all in play. The primary leaders’ debate was anticipated to refocus the marketing campaign on home points. Nonetheless, it briefly touched on worldwide issues, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressing the potential financial affect of Trump’s proposed tariffs. Albanese described these tariffs as an “act of financial self-harm” that will dampen international development, highlighting the intertwining of international coverage with home financial issues. This implies that sustained consideration is extra seemingly when home points are reframed by the lens of international diplomacy, and nationwide id.

Within the social media panorama, Trump was a flashpoint in election-related dialog. His affect—actual or perceived—was rapidly linked to the Liberal Get together, with MAGA-style rhetoric and Trumpian coverage cues gaining traction on-line. These narratives are likely to escalate on platforms the place ideological alignment and cultural grievance amplify engagement. But it surely wasn’t all imported tradition wars—the federal funds, and the Liberal Get together’s gas excise rebuttal, additionally drove important social chatter. In latest weeks, comparisons between main get together messaging and Trump-era coverage—from worldwide scholar caps and nuclear vitality to debates about college curricula—have continued to dominate dialogue.

The primary leaders’ debate briefly touched on international coverage, with Albanese warning Trump’s tariffs might damage international development, whereas Dutton framed it as a take a look at of sturdy management. Domestically, Dutton’s renewed push for nuclear energy reignited social media debate—drawing comparisons to Trump-era insurance policies and fuelling dialogue about Australia’s vitality future. On the identical time on social media, guarantees like HECS cuts, free TAFE, and extra funding for public faculties sparked real engagement, particularly amongst youthful voters and training employees, displaying that sensible, future-focused insurance policies can nonetheless minimize by. In comparison with the beginning of the marketing campaign, the place cost-of-living dominated as a top-line concern, the dialog has expanded: audiences at the moment are weighing each hip-pocket points and the nationwide values shaping Australia’s future.

Whereas the talk itself tended to be overshadowed by frustrations about entry and media management, a couple of political undercurrents nonetheless surfaced. Anthony Albanese drew some constructive mentions, however reactions had been removed from policy-focused. The Liberal Get together’s early declare of victory grew to become a degree of humour, with a number of customers likening it to Trump-style misinformation techniques. Disillusionment with the foremost events ran deep, with repeated calls to “break the donor-fuelled duopoly” and shift assist towards independents or smaller events. Nonetheless, these reactions appear extra like a symptom of broader voter cynicism than an indication of energised political engagement, reflecting broader themes across the declining belief.

The leaders’ debate didn’t reset the race—it refracted it, spotlighting how media protection is now formed much less by coverage element and extra by polarising symbols and cultural cues. As election day nears, the competition for consideration is revealing simply as a lot about media technique and voter fatigue as it’s about get together platforms.

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The Australian podcasting information business continues to develop. Whereas Australian audiences do eat content material from worldwide manufacturers just like the BBC, in addition they exhibit sturdy affinity for impartial Australian productions over mainstream sources. In a interval of uncertainty amidst Apple’s latest replace to automated obtain insurance policies Australia’s podcast viewers has quickly expanded, with advert income rising from $5 million in 2017 to over $100 million in 2024. So how do podcasts match into the Australian information cycle? As audiences direct consideration to impartial and worldwide productions, viewers concentrating on, partnerships and media monitoring traits point out a shift and a must adapt engagement metrics and messaging technique.

To spotlight the affect of podcasts on viewers engagement, we tracked protection of key information themes in Australian podcasting from January 2020 to November 2024.

Podcasts surged into the mainstream throughout the pandemic, they usually’re now evolving by integrating with platforms like video and audiobooks to satisfy new viewers expectations. 

Whereas normal podcast information dialogue stays regular, dialogue on information podcasts signifies listener engagement peaks round high-impact tales, suggesting that the subject and data itself is what really resonates with audiences. Retailers like The Australian Monetary Assessment and ABC have expanded into the format, but even main packages like ABC’s Background Briefing face fluctuating engagement in comparison with dialogue about information content material being consumed by podcasts. The information suggests there’s a spot being left by principal retailers within the podcasting house. Whereas conventional media adapts, impartial producers are gaining traction with tales that deeply resonate on id and group points, such because the 2021 Christian Porter case and The Briefing’s 2024 episode on pianist Jayson Gillham’s lawsuit in opposition to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Understanding viewers preferences and monitoring content material traits helps communicators craft methods that leverage podcasting’s distinctive enchantment.

https://twitter.com/Emilie_Dye/standing/1833416097871089706

Podcasts supply creators the liberty to pursue tales with fewer constraints of advertisers, buyers, or different stakeholders, resulting in content material deeply formed by private ardour and a robust connection to the topic. This independence empowers impactful storytelling, as illustrated by The Trainer’s Pet, the place Hedley Thomas’s rigorous reporting on the case of Lynette Dawson uncovered new, important particulars and underscored the journalistic integrity driving viewers engagement in a shared pursuit of fact. Equally, New Politics, co-created by Eddy Jokovich, leverages its Patreon-funded mannequin to discover views exterior mainstream narratives, showcasing the facility of impartial journalism by podcasting.

https://twitter.com/lisapodcasts/standing/1564484950984130565

https://twitter.com/EddyJokovich/standing/1632314733524303872

Sports activities and leisure are likely to generate excessive visibility and engagement, suggesting they profit from a sooner publishing cadence and broad enchantment. Nonetheless points like international conflicts draw important consideration, particularly amongst communities immediately impacted. The Briefing podcast, for instance, addressed the October 2024 battle in Gaza in a latest episode the place Lebanese-Australian journalist Liz Deep-Jones supplied a private perspective. One of these protection reveals how podcasts can present each journalistic depth and emotional resonance, connecting listeners to advanced tales in a extra relatable method.

Even when a significant broadcaster or outlet owns a podcast manufacturing, the distinctive model and tone set by the hosts and manufacturing group typically place podcasts exterior the traditional PR and communications scope. In contrast to the fastidiously curated speaking factors present in a typical puff piece or advertorial, podcasts permit for candid, in-depth discussions that discover advanced matters with a level of freedom seldom present in conventional information media channels. This authenticity is pushed by the podcast format itself, which favours nuanced dialogue providing audiences a extra clear and fewer scripted narrative model.

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Lots of the main information podcasts, like The Quicky by Mamamia, comply with a each day launch that faucets into the rhythm of the 24-hour information cycle, offering well timed responses to breaking information. This format appeals to listeners by delivering information in a fast, digestible model, ideally suited for staying knowledgeable on the go and catering to audiences prioritising each comfort and relevance. It’s no shock, then, that prime information spotlight podcasts typically incorporate advertisements at a number of factors—earlier than, throughout, and after episodes—capitalising on the excessive listener engagement these accessible, on-the-go updates create.

Sports activities and leisure podcasts have a tendency to draw greater engagement with frequent, simply digestible episodes, typically in the popular 20-30 minute vary, which maintain a gradual listener base. Personalities like Hamish and Andy, and John Graham exemplify how viewers visibility could be pushed extra by partaking personalities than by conventional information evaluation. In distinction, retailers like The Australian Monetary Assessment preserve a extra analytical focus with podcasts reminiscent of The Fin and Chanticleer, identified for his or her conservative, business-centric tone. In the meantime, digital-first manufacturers like Mamamia take a extra hybrid, accessible strategy throughout diverse matters, leveraging podcasting to succeed in broader audiences and foster engagement with impactful information tales. This vary of codecs illustrates how totally different manufacturers tailor their podcast methods to satisfy viewers preferences, from speedy updates in leisure to in-depth discussions on present occasions.

Whereas legacy media retailers leverage their reputations to boost their podcast presence, credibility alone doesn’t guarantee engagement. As an alternative, PR and communications groups can increase viewers connection by aligning content material with listeners’ pursuits and authenticity, serving to refine podcasting methods to seize consideration and drive significant engagement.

Considering studying extra? E-mail us at information@isentia.com

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