Should the media tell you who to vote for at this election?

On Saturday, millions of Australians will cast their ballot in the country’s federal election.

Ahead of the vote, Australian media outlets have published editorials on who they believe should win the election.

Traditional media endorsements have long been a feature of elections, both in Australia and across the world.

Here’s what you need to know.

Endorsements

Before we discuss this year’s endorsements, it’s important to understand how they work.

An endorsement is usually published by an editorial board, which is a separate arm of a news business to the journalists who report on the news of the day. It’ll be labelled as an ‘editorial’ by the newspaper.

The Daily Aus does not publish endorsements ahead of any elections.

Endorsing Labor

Ahead of Saturday’s federal election, most newspapers are suggesting neither major party deserves to win.

The Sydney Morning Herald, owned by Nine, is running an editorial that says: “Dutton should not be our prime minister. But the Albanese government needs to be so much better.”

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It goes on to suggest “the truth is neither Labor nor the Coalition have done much to inspire.”

Ultimately, the Herald editorial concludes that “Albanese and Labor are the best option to form government”.

The Guardian calls on “progressives” to “vote strategically“. Its editorial says that choosing to vote for the Greens, teals or other alternative candidates could “push” a Labor minority government to “move faster”.

The Canberra Times, owned by ACM, tells its readers, “the choice is a simple one”. It adds that “like in Canada earlier this week, a safe set of hands looks a far better electoral choice than a grasping one”.

Endorsing the Coalition

Conversely, the Australian Financial Review, also owned by Nine, labels this the “worst election campaign ever” but suggests the “Coalition may be [the] least bad bet”.

It says: “A Dutton government that has offered up slightly more in the way of budget responsibility might be our least worst bet, as unconvincing as he has been.”

The Australian, which is owned by News Corp, says that this campaign has “fallen way short of the contest of ideas that circumstances demand”.

However, it concludes that “in the key areas of defence, energy and the economy, the Coalition provides the best option for managing the demands of challenging and uncertain times.”