Influencers are now a major force in Australian politics, but when online creators promote policies, campaigns or advocacy groups, how much does the audience actually know about who is behind the message?

Josh sat down with Hannah Ferguson, founder of Cheek Media, to ask directly about lobbying, advocacy groups, political outreach, paid partnerships, disclosure, and where the line sits between education, sponsorship and political influence.

As more Australians get their news and politics through Instagram, TikTok, Substack and podcasts, the question is no longer whether influencers matter. They do. The question is whether the same transparency expected of media, lobbyists and political campaigns should apply to the people shaping politics in your feed.

This is the second in our new media series.

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Disclaimer:
AI has been used in elements of the thumbnail production.

00:00 Lobbying and social media
00:14 Cheek Media’s reach and ethical responsibility
01:18 Political outreach requests
03:31 Paid partnerships and transparency
05:27 Authentic content or lobbying influence?
07:35 Final thoughts

This post was originally published on Michael West.