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One Nation's AI-generated campaign videos draw criticism in Australia

One Nation has drawn criticism over AI-generated campaign videos showing a suicide bomber, a home invader and a machete-wielder. A Tasmanian cafe has also publicly clashed with candidate Lee Hanson over one of the videos.

2 outlets · 1L · 1C · 0R First reported Account updated
Image: Anadolu Agency
Image: ABC News (Australia)

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The story, neutrally told

Centre · 1Anadolu Agency reported that One Nation drew controversy over election advertising featuring AI-generated images of a suicide bomber and a home invader, ahead of the Victorian state election. Centre · 1Citing the outlet Lamestream, Anadolu said the imagery was screened at One Nation's Victorian campaign launch at Melbourne's Crown Casino on Saturday; one sequence showed a man in what appeared to be an explosive vest and another a masked intruder entering a family home. Left · 1ABC News (Australia) separately reported that One Nation published an AI-generated video titled "It's ok to come out … as a One Nation voter", showing people abandoning their political and social allegiances and revealing support for the party.

Left · 1According to the ABC, the video opens with a family eating "vegan mung beans" and goes on to depict a man of African appearance wielding a machete, a man of Middle Eastern appearance in what appears to be an explosives vest, and protesters outside a parliament building. It also touches on ABC bias, bail laws, gender identity, mass migration, power prices and money for Indigenous Australians. Left · 1Richmond Reading Room, a cafe north of Hobart, Tasmania, posted that it was "disgusted" by the ad and made an unnamed reference to regular customer and One Nation candidate Lee Hanson, daughter of party leader Pauline Hanson, referring to the "orange ute outside our coffee shop". Left · 1Lee Hanson replied that the post was a "complete shock" and that she was "genuinely hurt", asking why the owners had not spoken to her directly, and said she would keep backing local businesses "just not businesses that publicly make people feel unwelcome" over political views. The ABC said it had contacted the cafe for comment.

Centre · 1Anadolu, citing the ABC, said law and order is the centrepiece of One Nation's 63-page platform, with tougher penalties for violent young offenders, more police and a 24-hour bail court. It also proposes a capsicum spray trial and UK-style self-defence laws, and pledges to abolish Victoria's Indigenous treaty and scrap the Suburban Rail Loop. Centre · 1Victoria votes on 28 November, and One Nation is fielding candidates in all 88 lower-house electorates.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left1 outlet

Framing
ABC leads with a personal row between a Tasmanian cafe and Lee Hanson triggered by the video, quoting both sides' tone.
Emphasis
Lee Hanson's response and the cafe's post; detailed description of the video's content.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not report the Victorian campaign launch or policy platform; cafe had not yet commented.
Charged language
“disgusted”“genuinely hurt”
For example
“A Tasmanian cafe and Pauline Hanson's daughter have become embroiled in a row over an AI-generated video” — ABC News (Australia)
“a man of African appearance wielding a machete” — ABC News (Australia)

Centre1 outlet

Framing
Anadolu leads with the controversy over AI images of a suicide bomber and a home invader, then sets out One Nation's Victorian platform.
Emphasis
Law-and-order policies, the party's description as right-wing and 'far-right', and election details.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not name who is criticising the ads or report any response from One Nation; relies on a secondary source for the screening.
Charged language
“far-right politician”
For example
“Australia’s right-wing One Nation party has drawn controversy over election advertisements featuring AI-generated images of a suicide bomber and a home invader” — Anadolu Agency
“led nationally by far-right politician Pauline Hanson” — Anadolu Agency

Right0 outlets

No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.