By reporting that Hanson is a popular candidate, they make her seem like a viable option, thus self-fulfilling their prophecy. Watch the same outlets guilt the public for voting her in when she wins seats based on their own bullshit reporting.

I don't necessarily agree that it's a case of "the news media" trying to "sway elections', I think there's a lot more nuance here than you're suggesting. But I definitely agree that this constant fearmongering about One Nation in order to gain clicks is massively contributing to the mainstreaming of the party. I also agree that if One Nation finds success on election night, the panel of ABC journalists who have spent all their time discussing One Nation over the last few years will be predictably shocked and have absolutely zero self-awareness about the role of the national broadcaster here.