POLITICAL JOURNALISTS POLITICAL AND PROFESSIONAL VALUES

Research in various countries has shown that journalists are politically inclined to the left rather than the right. However, little attention has been paid to political journalists' values. This study draws on the results of a national survey to explore the political views of Australian journalists who specialise in politics, while also evaluating the journalists' background characteristics and professional values. It is found that political journalists are more likely to come from an elite background and to be more professional in outlook. They are, however, less concerned with some ethical principles. Political journalists are more left-wing in their political views and more likely to vote Labor. Canberra political journalists are more professional, more likely to vote Labor and more left-leaning than are other political journalists. Pro-Labor bias cannot be proven from these findings, and it has been argued that journalists' professional commitments override personal political views. On the other hand, a shared liberal consensus among political journalists, especially those in the national capital, may result in general acceptance by them of a liberal agenda.