I’ve been sitting here this morning, staring at my phone in disbelief. The Federal Trade Commission – you know, the agency supposedly tasked with protecting consumers and maintaining fair competition – is now apparently in the business of telling Apple News which political outlets it should promote. Specifically, they want more Fox News and Breitbart stories pushed to users.

Let me just say that again for those in the back: a government agency is demanding a private company promote specific political content.

There’s a satirical headline doing the rounds that pretty much sums up the absurdity of our current political landscape: Sussan Ley apparently can’t believe she’s less popular than a bloke who managed to combine an almost impressive litany of failures, scandals, and questionable decisions during his time as Prime Minister. The headline lists just a few of Scott Morrison’s greatest hits, and honestly, it barely scratches the surface.

The thing that struck me while reading through the discussion around this piece wasn’t the list itself – we’ve all seen variations of it before. What caught my attention was how many people admitted they’d forgotten just how terrible Morrison was as PM. One person put it perfectly: we have a collective goldfish memory when it comes to politics.

The recent call by Peter Dutton telling his supporters to ignore certain media outlets rings eerily familiar bells. Standing at a podium, directing followers to disregard specific news sources while promoting others feels like a carbon copy of political tactics we’ve witnessed overseas - and not in a good way.

Living in the digital age means we have unprecedented access to diverse news sources. The ABC, The Guardian, and other independent outlets play crucial roles in our media landscape, providing necessary counterpoints to the dominant commercial narratives. When a political leader actively discourages engagement with these sources, it should concern every citizen who values democratic discourse.