Australia and the Scottish Independence Referendum
The chapter analyzes data from print and online media, including online broadcaster sites, and includes an overview of the Australian media landscape. It also notes the significant percentage of Australians (8.9%) who are Scottish or of Scottish descent. There was considerable Australian interest in the referendum. While there was focus on the Scottish referendum in its own context, the other chief tendency was for the Australian media to use the Scottish referendum as a hook for tackling Australian issues. This especially applies to the republican/monarchist debate there. Until close to polling day coverage tended to rely on agencies or UK partner titles, reflecting a general lack of foreign news in the Australian press. The chapter notes the predominance of one newspaper, The Australian, which along with the news services of ABC and SBS was the only source of detailed reporting. Notwithstanding hostile comment on the Yes campaign by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the Australian media generally did not take sides in the debate. After the poll, the story rapidly faded from the media.