MEDIA RULES is essentially a cinema verité film about the relationship between the media and the politicians. Specifically, the film follows members of the Canberra Press Gallery and their interaction with both the Howard and Keating camps during the 1996 federal election campaign. The film examines the 'rules' by which the media must play, and how these effect the reporting of issues, the transfer of information to the public and how images are constructed. What are the effects of these 'rules' on the working of a healthy democracy? And does the media, despite being defeated by the 'rules', win the overall game at the end of the day?