Isentia Index: Kings and tennis tantrums

The US election has again received the most coverage across both traditional and social Australian media in the past week, as the leaked video of Donald Trump bragging about sexual assault was followed up by a range of women with allegations to match his boasting. Trump attempted to deflect the conversation towards voter fraud, as polls show Hillary Clinton in the lead, and his remarks aren’t getting much public support from other Republican leaders as the election draws near. Our drawn-out fascination with US politics might be due to the slow-moving political issues more locally. The devastating images from Mosul in Iraq have been widely broadcast across radio and television this week, as the Iraqi army tries to retake the city from the Islamic State. The UN is working to create new refugee sites outside Mosul, with reports as many as one million people may be forced from their homes. While Australia has been assisting the Iraqi army, most of the coverage has been from an international perspective. While nothing much has actually happened since Labor announced it would not vote in favour of the plebiscite, discussions and opinion pieces have been rife, and PM Malcolm Turnbull telling ABC Radio yesterday that he remains confident the legislation will clear the Senate has pushed same-sex marriage into third place this week. Media has focused on the unhappiness of the Hughes family this week, with the inquest into cricketer Phillip Hughes’ 2014 death completed on Friday and the coroner expected to release findings in a month. By focusing on the family and their split with Cricket Australia, media managed to create a divide, however former captain Michael Clarke said this week it should be about preventing similar deaths in the future. Websites across Thailand, including Google, have turned black and white to mark the mourning of King Bhumibol last week. Following the incident at the Malaysian Grand Prix, the Australian Government was quick to warn Australian travellers to be respectful of the local culture and customs.