On Thursday 6 September 2007, what appeared to be a motorcade carrying an official dignitary was waved though a police security checkpoint in Sydney's central business district. The checkpoint was to safeguard delegates attending the annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group (APEC). The New South Wales police in charge, perhaps bedazzled by the hired car and suits, simply waved the car through with the words ‘The road is yours.’ The convoy found itself metres away from the InterContinental Hotel, which among other guests was hosting US President George W. Bush. Despite the state and federal governments' rhetoric about their lock-down of Sydney, it is probably safe to say that, when the world's most wanted man Osama Bin Laden popped out of said car, it was probably the biggest breach in the President's security to date.

The Chaser is just one of a series of new, emergent forms of journalism that have arisen over the past decade; it is an example of a contemporary, political communication practice that doesn't fit into traditional journalistic models. ‘Because understanding of an issue comes from a range of different sources, these different perspectives can be combined together to give audiences a more well-rounded understanding’ of what is happening in public life. In doing so, such emerging forms are reshaping democratic debate and civic engagement.

There is also more to the contemporary media ecosphere than online material. The convergence of ‘old’ and ‘new’ media is enabling new genres to evolve.