Top political words: 'Hipster' PM, taxing times

The media lost interest in Tony Abbott's budgie smugglers. Source: News Limited

TONY Abbott's budgie smugglers have been replaced with ''stopping the boats'' and ''people smugglers'' in an analysis of the most used political words in mainstream media.

Compared to the 2010 election year the Opposition Leader's physique and swimwear choice has taken a back seat to the asylum-seeker issue, but Julia Gillard's new ''hipster'' look is still making headlines.

An analysis by News Limited of political stories from January 27 to March 16 this year has shown an interesting tale of what is making it into the press and what the nation's political leaders are talking about.

The Prime Minister is getting the most coverage out of all stories containing the word ''election'' at 44 per cent, closely followed by Mr Abbott at 32 per cent and Kevin Rudd at 17 per cent.

Compared directly to Mr Abbott, the Prime Minister is getting 58 per cent of the coverage to his 42 per cent.

In the first three months of this year 15,199 election-related stories have been written compared to around 25,000 in the entire 2010 election year.

Ms Gillard's personal attributes and relationships are again under the microscope, but instead of her ''child free status'' and ''defacto relationship'' it is her glasses, hair colour and style - ''sharp'', ''hipster'' and ''cool''.

The Prime Minister has changed her rhetoric on families since 2010 from predominantly using the phrase ''hard-working'' to now referring to them as ''modern''.

The phrase ''Australian people'' is heavily used by both Ms Gillard and Mr Abbott.

The Opposition Leader uses the word ''trust'' regularly, mostly associated with the betrayal of trust.

Julia Gillard's new look stirred interest in the media. Source: News Limited

Tax comes up as the biggest issue in election stories with 3157 mentions, health at 2895 mentions, environment at 2497 mentions and education at 2396 mentions.

Aged care is the least most mentioned issue in the news media this year appearing just 99 times.

The federal election is due to be held on September 14.

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Capriati 'punched ex four times'

Tennis great Jennifer Capriati denies punching her ex-boyfriend.Picture: Darren McCollester/Getty Images/AFP Source: Getty Images

FORMER tennis World No. 1 Jennifer Capriati is facing battery charges and possible arrest after being accused of stalking and punching an ex-boyfriend on Valentine's Day.

Capriati, a three-time Grand Slam champion who won 14 titles and earned gold at the 1992 Olympics, had an altercation with Ivan Brannan at the Oxygen Health & Wellness gym in North Palm Beach, Florida on February 14, the local police department said.

While Brannan was working out, Capriati, 36, "started screaming" at him before punching him "with a closed fist four times in the chest," a police report said.

A yoga instructor then stopped the former tennis pro from continuing to punch Brannan and the 28-year-old managed to lock himself in the men's locker room and call 911.

Brannan, a former Florida State University golfer, had red marks on his chest from the incident, according to the police report.

While filling out an affidavit, "his hands were physically shaking," it added.

"It was very apparent that he was in fear of physical harm."

Brannan, who dated Capriati from May 2011 to February 2012, told police that Capriati began harassing and stalking him shortly after the couple broke up. He also later brought officers documentation of seven other altercations with the former tennis pro.

The North Palm Beach Police Department in Florida subsequently requested an arrest warrant for Capriati, though it has not yet been issued by the court, a spokeswoman said.

A publicist for Capriati issued a statement on Friday stressing that the case "has not yet been assigned in Palm Beach County and has not been reviewed."

"The current facts being circulated by Mr Brannan are an over-exaggeration and the police report is one-sided in Mr Brannan's favour since they failed to get Ms Capriati's side of the story," Natalie Mikolich said in a statement cited by US media.

Capriati also took to Twitter herself to defend her behaviour.

"I pushed a man that was verbally assaulting me away from me. This man has been tormenting and abusing me for so long. The truth will prevail," she wrote.

And on Sunday, she added: "These lies and turmoil are only happening because of this man!Look at what he has done to the MOTHER of his own son not just me!!"

Brannan's ex-fiancee, cook Christine Corley, then wrote back: "He is doing the same thing to you as he did to me!!" and "I feel your pain!"

View the original article here

Tennis star 'punched ex four times'

Tennis great Jennifer Capriati denies punching her ex-boyfriend.Picture: Darren McCollester/Getty Images/AFP Source: Getty Images

FORMER tennis World No. 1 Jennifer Capriati is facing battery charges and possible arrest after being accused of stalking and punching an ex-boyfriend on Valentine's Day.

Capriati, a three-time Grand Slam champion who won 14 titles and earned gold at the 1992 Olympics, had an altercation with Ivan Brannan at the Oxygen Health & Wellness gym in North Palm Beach, Florida on February 14, the local police department said.

While Brannan was working out, Capriati, 36, "started screaming" at him before punching him "with a closed fist four times in the chest," a police report said.

A yoga instructor then stopped the former tennis pro from continuing to punch Brannan and the 28-year-old managed to lock himself in the men's locker room and call 911.

Brannan, a former Florida State University golfer, had red marks on his chest from the incident, according to the police report.

While filling out an affidavit, "his hands were physically shaking," it added.

"It was very apparent that he was in fear of physical harm."

Brannan, who dated Capriati from May 2011 to February 2012, told police that Capriati began harassing and stalking him shortly after the couple broke up. He also later brought officers documentation of seven other altercations with the former tennis pro.

The North Palm Beach Police Department in Florida subsequently requested an arrest warrant for Capriati, though it has not yet been issued by the court, a spokeswoman said.

A publicist for Capriati issued a statement on Friday stressing that the case "has not yet been assigned in Palm Beach County and has not been reviewed."

"The current facts being circulated by Mr Brannan are an over-exaggeration and the police report is one-sided in Mr Brannan's favour since they failed to get Ms Capriati's side of the story," Natalie Mikolich said in a statement cited by US media.

Capriati also took to Twitter herself to defend her behaviour.

"I pushed a man that was verbally assaulting me away from me. This man has been tormenting and abusing me for so long. The truth will prevail," she wrote.

And on Sunday, she added: "These lies and turmoil are only happening because of this man!Look at what he has done to the MOTHER of his own son not just me!!"

Brannan's ex-fiancee, cook Christine Corley, then wrote back: "He is doing the same thing to you as he did to me!!" and "I feel your pain!"

View the original article here