Elements of it enjoy a cozy, incestuous relationship with the government of the day, especially the lobby correspondents who are fed by the prime minister's office.
The equally hard-working journos who struggle to cover their patches many miles from the capital would rather see a lobby correspondent bite the dust than bite it themselves.
A good lobby correspondent is priceless, producing exclusives, forging close links with local mps, who are also in touch with their constituents so providing many human interest stories.
