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The Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD) has teamed up with Independent creative agency Icon to launch a national campaign to fight fake news.
The campaign includes the launch of Question of the Day, a creative public education effort encouraging people to think critically about the information they see, hear and share.
The underlying idea is to help Australians build everyday resilience against misinformation and disinformation.
The campaign also includes a set of ‘democracy cards’, each posing a question such as,“Is false info always a bad thing?” or “What’s the wildest thing you heard on social media that turned out to be false?” Those assets are shared across MoAD’s digital and social channels.
Icon and MoAD have made it clear that the campaign isn’t affiliated with any particular political party, ideological goals or agenda-setting. Instead, it encourages Australians to think critically when it comes to the news and information they consume.
“This isn’t about pointing fingers, it’s about creating space for curiosity and connection,” Icon executive director of creative and campaigns Georgina Rees says. “The cards are designed to welcome all Australians into the conversation – no background in politics required.”
Over the course of the campaign’s creation, Icon consulted with influential political commentator Konrad Benjamin, aka Punters Politics, who brainstormed on some of the campaign’s key concepts and content.
Traditional media’s uphill task to gain trust
According to recent research released by independent public policy think tank The Australia Institute, the declining influence of traditional media is becoming increasingly evident.
The 2025 and 2022 federal elections were the only ones in the past 30 years to have been won by a party without the endorsements of most major newspapers.
This year’s televised leaders’ debates reached 12 percent of voters, at best. The first leaders’ debate, conducted behind a paywall on Sky News, was seen by, at best, two percent of voters.
After decades of championing the winner, the majority of newspapers endorsed the losing party in 2022 and 2025.
Neither News Corp nor Nine regularly reach more than 20 percent of voters in Victoria, a crucial state in the recent election.
Parties no longer need legacy media’s endorsements to win. The result of the 2025 federal election was proof that the influence of major media companies over voter opinion has declined.
MoAD and Icon’s campaign is aimed at helping Australians think more independently with regards to the sources they turn to to inform them on various matters of public importance, including politics.
“Democracy isn’t just about elections, it’s how we listen, question and interact with each other every day,” MoAD head of digital Anna O’Leary says. “This campaign encourages people to be active, thoughtful participants in that process.”
Image: Supplied
