Cheek Media Co. founder, Hannah Ferguson, has given an address to the National Press Club on the topic of new media and her plans to run for Senate.
Ferguson, and other young Australians with large social media followings, such as Abbie Chatfield and Konrad Benjamin aka Punter’s Politics, were all in the spotlight in the run up to the latest federal election as they used non-traditional media formats to engage in political debate, discussion and education.
This includes podcasts, YouTube videos, Substack, and posts on Instagram, where Cheek Media Co. has a following of 185,000 people and cites a reach of more than two million people each month.
“The goal of Cheek has always remained the same; to provide progressive, independent commentary and offer the antidote to the Murdoch chokehold that Australia has been subjected to for decades," Ferguson said.
"In 2020 it was an Instagram account with 120 followers… fast-forward to May 2025, and in the seven days leading to the federal election, Cheek's content was viewed almost 20 million times on Instagram by four million Australians.
During the address, she also confirmed that she intends to run as an Independent senator for New South Wales in the next federal election.
Ferguson has always emphasised that she is not a journalist but rather a commentator who utilises social media and podcasting as a way to have a voice in a modern media landscape and to speak about Australian politics, especially as a way to engage younger generations in that conversation.
“It's crucial to recognise that the best journalism in this country is done by some heavy lifting independent outlets, many of whom rely on donations, subscriptions and often paywalls to survive… social media commentators like myself benefit from the hard work of these journalists,” she said.
“I think when we're talking about the relevance of media, we need to meet young people where we're at right… I know less and less people than even on the TV own, frankly, and turn it on. So when we're talking about reaching young people too, turning on the nightly news and seeing a man in a suit reading it in a very serious voice just isn't authentic to young people anymore… I think mostly it's about needing to meet people where they're at and currently podcasting and social media is the forum for that.”
She also tackled the question of impartiality and how those navigating the new frontier of social media political commentary are doing so with very few, if any, guidelines in place, especially in the lead up to the federal election.
“I think in the media landscape, there needs to be some sort of fit and proper person test to examine who can own and operate outlets, and I think that at a social media level, there needs to be clear regulations and guidelines when it comes to things like authorisations, endorsements, collaborative posting,” Ferguson said, citing her own conduct during the weeks of campaigning and refusal to accept money from political organisations.
As the content consumed by younger generations shifts away from traditional media more and more, Ferguson and others like her must now navigate not only a new type of content but the difficulties of the platforms they post on.
“There's not really that many limitations to who can advertise, on different forms of media and what they can say and how they can lie,” she continued.
“By design our algorithms are becoming more and more inclined to shorter videos that project more inflammatory information, and that's the same as how headlines work in the mainstream media too. The article isn't really read in full. And I think that when we're talking about impartiality, the problem is that we need to regulate algorithms, as opposed to putting the blame on the individual… I'd prefer that Meta, I'd prefer that TikTok have regulations in place, have a duty of care, which is something the Prime Minister proposed, as to how those algorithms actually function, and so that they're not by design, intended to only reflect back to you your world view.”
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