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Throughout his tenure, Jeff Kennett used the local tabloid as his preferred outlet, maintained a feud against ABC News & Current Affairs on both radio and TV and regularly criticising The Age, all while maintaining a cosy relationship with 3AW. Remember the image of the then premier shovelling sand at the media pack, only half in jest?

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Andrews refusal to be schooled by the tabloid editors is reminiscent of Malcolm Turnbulls fabulous retort to the not-missed-at-all Sydney shock-jock Alan Jones, when the then PM retorted, I will not to take dictation from you as the puffed-up breakfast radio host tried to tell Turnbull what he had to do. Almost nobody remembers the issue they were squabbling about but the attempt by the prime minister to remind Jones of his rightful place in the universe is unforgettable.

Andrews staff now regard themselves as their own publisher. He preferences Twitter for major announcements but also uses Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

He is the most prolific and consistent user of social media in Australian politics with a sizeable team devoted to creating fresh content throughout the day as well as monitoring public reactions. On Twitter alone he has 10 times more followers than his NSW counterpart 419,000 to Dominic Perrottets 41,000. No other state premier relies on tweets as much Annastacia Palaszczuk in Queensland is closest with half as many followers as Andrews.

In all of Australian politics, only the new Prime Minister has a bigger Twitter base, but he is not as active as Andrews. Anthony Albanese has just over 500,000 Twitter disciples, Penny Wong 390,000. Peter Dutton attracts a mere 130,000. Tellingly, Matthew Guy, the Victorian Opposition Leader, has just 28,000 followers on Twitter and still relies on legacy media to try to get traction.

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Twitter is just one tool in the Andrews social media armoury, but the platform is obsessively watched in political circles and can be highly effective. It can be toxic and a risk to peoples mental health, but is a platform where the creator retains total control over content no pesky gotcha questions or tricky traps set by ambitious journalists. Andrews has invested heavily in creating an expert team of social media specialists to milk every opportunity.

The Premier cannot be accused of being shy of an old-fashioned all in press conference as we saw with the Daily Dan marathons with the press pack throughout Victorias extended lockdowns. But being seen to be in charge during a prolonged emergency is entirely different to massaging the message during an election campaign, where control of every component is vital.

When Andrews returned from his extended rehabilitation after a serious back injury, he addressed Victorians directly, his team filming him talking to their camera, sitting on a couch at home with his wife, Catherine. They knew that all media would re-report his spiel. By speaking directly to the voters through social media, he avoided being edited and was not critiqued for playing favourites with any individual media outlet.

The AFL has long adopted a similar strategy. The league and the clubs are thought to now employ more football journalists than independent media combined. They generate their own stories, their own interviews, their own stunts. They protect their brand by limiting the opportunities for external scrutiny.

Politics and professional sport have much in common.

Excerpt from:
In bypassing the media, Daniel Andrews controls the message - The Age