Journalists and politicians rarely get a good press. That’s probably a good thing in a democracy where each side should be holding the other to account with a robust exchange of views.  Journalists should be asking searching questions about policies that will impact on the lives of their readers and viewers.

Likewise, politicians have a right to ask whether the slant on any paper’s coverage has more to do with its owner’s interests than those of its readers. Traditionally, that has meant Lobby journalists, who cover politics at Westminster, focus relentlessly on the Prime Minister, the Government, its policies and the policy-making process.

The politics and power struggles of the Opposition are of interest and get increasingly interesting in the run-up to a general election.

But there has been a creeping and worrying change in that focus away from the Government and towards a party that’s four years away from power at best – barring an implosion of the Tory Party.

Partly down to Government tactics and partly down to a tendency among some journalists to seek out low-hanging fruit when it comes to stories, David Cameron and his fellow ministers are escaping proper scrutiny.

To the frustration of broadcasters, ministers are increasingly refusing to show up in the studio to face questions about the doctors’ strike or benefit cuts.

Some outstanding reporting by Channel 4’s Michael Crick over the Tories’ failure to declare general election expenses has fallen victim to this.  Conservative HQ refused to put up a spokesman and instead issued a bland statement on the scandal.  That limited discussions of Crick’s story on other channels because broadcasters have to balance discussions.

When Radio 4’s Today programme wanted to ask Boris Johnson whether his “part-Kenyan” comments about Barack Obama were racist, the London Mayor just refused their invitation.

Presenters like Andrew Neil continue to sardonically refer to “the empty chair” where a minister should be sitting. But it’s a Government ruse that works in terms of limiting debate and scrutiny.

Cabinet ministers like Jeremy Hunt adopt the same tactic in the House of Commons.  Faced with an urgent question tabled by the Opposition, the Health Secretary claims to be too busy to show up and sends a replacement.

The media are less interested in the words of a little-known, junior minister and the story gets regulated in the news schedules. In fact, the ministerial no-shows leave broadcasters more airtime to fill, often by scrutinising Labour on policy and potential splits  – even though the party is years away from power.

Access is another key issue. Journalists know where the Parliamentary Labour Party meets each week and hang outside the House of Commons room eagerly awaiting titbits from MPs, especially those critical of Jeremy Corbyn.

However, you read little about the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs and hear virtually nothing about the discussions inside the Cabinet committees that help decide Government policies.

When it comes to the elections on May 5, the focus is often less on the Government’s record and more on what will represent a good or bad result for Corbyn – such is the Lobby’s obsession with the soap opera of the Labour leadership.

The door-stepping of the Labour leader outside his Islington home seems far more frequent and determined than efforts to similarly quiz the Health Secretary or the Education Secretary whose actions have a huge and immediate impact on the lives of millions of ­people.

After more than 20 years as a political journalist, I’ve written a few trivial stories in my time and I know it’s easier to get hold of Shadow ministers for a comment or quick turn on TV than “real” ministers who can hide ­behind their spin-doctors or inside their ­chauffeur-driven Jags.

I suspect that there will be acres of space and airtime devoted this summer to rumblings around the Labour leadership and potential flashpoints for the party such as Trident.

But will the media devote the attention and scrutiny to the Chancellor’s failure to hit his own economic targets, the ongoing welfare cuts or Cameron’s and Michael Gove’s promises over penal reform? Well, it will be tricky as ministers continue to deny those issues the oxygen of publicity. However, the media have a responsibility to their readers to raise and discuss the issues that have a major impact on their lives.

If a minister repeatedly refuse to show up, that’s too bad. Journalists should just get on with reporting the stories that matter – especially ones the Government would rather avoid. When it comes to speaking truth unto power, it’s a Cabinet minister that needs to be put on the spot – not some pointless panjandrum or Opposition MP.

The important stories are never the easiest, but they are the ones that should be pursuing the hardest.