Sex, lies and a videotape: a look at the shock Pauline Hanson documentary set to make waves, by Shannon Molloy.

SEX, lies and a videotape — an explosive documentary about firebrand politician Pauline Hanson has all that and more.

The SBS special Pauline Hanson: Please Explain, which airs later this month, includes a range of surprising revelations, including her first sexual encounter with former colleague David Oldfield.

This is sure to be entertaining. But if a political party did this it would be called “oppo” — the dirt you air about your opponents to distract and discredit. So why is the SBS, paid for by the Australian taxpayer, doing oppo on a politician? It’s not like the SBS mete out this treatment to the politically correct politicians.

This is yet another instance of the media training the politicians to be politically correct. Say things the media like and they give you coverage, but otherwise you don’t you get any coverage. For example, the Nationals get far less coverage than the Greens, despite receiving vaguely similar public support to judge by the voting. And for the real threats to political correctness, the media hand out negative coverage, such as to Pauline Hansen, Cory Bernadi, or Liberal leaders who refuse to toe the line.