ABSTRACT
The diplomatic service is neither the exclusive nor even the widest channel of communication between states. Most of the information that flows between states does so without the intercession of diplomats. By necessity, diplomats know little about the content of these vast flows. The other remaining function of diplomatic reporting is the one of setting in its context information that is widely available. This is the task of evaluating the consequences for the home country of events or processes that are being reported in the various public media of the host state. Diplomats are not the only ones engaged in such an evaluation. In crucial moments and on occasions, in hinge moments when events might turn into one direction or another, diplomats sometimes do have a chance to shape events. The chance is certainly greater for diplomats from large states like the United States.
