Journalist–source Relations, Mediated Reflexivity and the Politics of Politics

Abstract

This essay discusses journalistÁsource relations but with an emphasis on how such relations influence the understanding and behaviour of politicians. It explores the issue through empirical work conducted at the site of the UK Parliament at Westminster. Findings are based on semistructured interviews with 60 Members of Parliament (MPs) and 20 national political journalists. The research findings initially confirmed many of the observations of earlier studies in the field. UK journalistÁsource relations still resemble Gans' (1979) original ''tug-of-war'' description of an evershifting power balance between the two sides. Such interactions, in turn, are reflected in more compliant or adversarial news coverage. Of greater interest here, the interviews also revealed that such relations have come to play a significant role in the micro-level politics of the political sphere itself. This is because reporterÁpolitician relations and objectives have become institutionalised, intense and subject to a form of ''mediated reflexivity''. Consequently, politicians have come to incorporate such reporter interactions into their daily thinking and behaviour. As such, journalists are seen as more than a simple means of message promotion to the public. They also act, often inadvertently, as information intermediaries and sources for politicians trying to gauge daily developments within their own political arena.

”Ihmisiähän tässä kaikki ollaan”

“…Osapuolten on todettu tarvitsevan toisiaan, vaikka heidän ammatilliset tavoitteensa eroavatkin (esim. Palmer 2000;Schudson 2003;Davis 2007;. Kenneth Asp kuvasi tätä vaihtosuhdetta 1980-luvulla selkeällä valtasuhdemallilla.…”

“…Journalismin vahvan lähdehierarkian vuoksi poliittiset kärkinimet ja hallituspuolueet tuntuvat saavan mediassa sanansa julki helpommin kuin opposition edustajat, joten etenkin oppositiopoliitikot käyttävät runsaasti aikaa toimittajasuhteiden ylläpitoon (vrt. Davis 2007).…”

Negotiation Games

“…Besides research on newsroom practices, another strand of research on journalistsource relations focuses on the output, the journalistic texts (Davis 2009;Broersma, Den Herder, and Schohaus 2013). Here, the actual interaction between interviewers and interviewees has been examined, usually on (live) television, or during official and institutionalized settings, like press conferences.…”

“…To provide a constant news-stream, they are increasingly dependent on information subsidies provided by PR departments and political figures, who provide news in easily manageable tidbits. Politicians can use this much sought after information to barter for media attention (Jones 1995;Davis 2009Davis , 2013Brants et al 2010). This exchange is often initiated or controlled by PR advisors, marketeers, and spin doctors, who try to create a positive image of the party or politician, acting as "parajournalists," attempting to steer the news in a certain direction (Mancini and Swanson 1996;Savigny 2008;Schudson 2011;Davis 2013).…”

Press Clubs, the Journalistic Field and the Practice of Journalism in Pakistan

“…The exclusive group of political reporters authorised to work inside the British parliament (the Westminster lobby correspondents), is one example (Tunstall, 1970) and there are similar formal understandings between institutional sources and journalists -most commonly relating to the reporting of politics and government -in most countries. These arrangements are on a much smaller scale than those operating in Japan, but Freeman's conclusion -that the club system allows elites to filter the news and shape public perceptions -generally holds good (see Davis, 2009 on the Westminster lobby, for example). For present purposes the more general point to note is that in many cases around the world journalists have formed associations that play a key -perhaps indispensible -role in the performance of their occupation.…”