Silence at the Microphone: When Politicians Prioritize Public Relations Over Substance The recent media events at Secret Harbour, where WA Premier Roger Cook, Attorney General Tony Buti, and Transport Minister Rita Saffioti spoke without Labor's candidate Georgia Tree in attendance, has sparked questions about the role of public relations in politics.
The premier's decision to keep his own party's candidate from speaking was a symptom of a larger problem: the prioritization of image over substance in modern politics.
Cook defended his decision by saying that Tree had already addressed more press conferences than every other candidate combined. However, this misses the point entirely.