The war on woke: continuity and change in Australian anti-elitist discourses

Abstract

The ‘War on Woke’ is the latest form of populist anti-elitist discourse in Australia. It includes a number of elements already analysed 20 years ago such as the role of the Murdoch print media in constructing elites in spatial and cultural terms rather than in terms of political and socio-economic power. In the changed media ecosphere, there are also new elements, such as the role of Sky News Australia once Murdoch gained full ownership of it and the role of online campaigning organisation Advance, established in 2018. This article applies content analysis to Murdoch print media, Sky News Australia and Advance to map continuities and change in anti-elitist discourse in Australia. It also considers the gendered nature of such discourse and its contribution to decreased public trust.