ABSTRACT
In studying the media, there has been increasing recognition of the role that sources play. Where before these tended to be treated as passive, with journalists selecting from what they offered, the relationship has come to be seen as rather more dynamic, and indeed as sometimes conflictual.1 Some agencies that provide source material play an active role in seeking to manage the news so as to serve their own goals. This forms part of the burgeoning ‘public relations’ industry and the rise of ‘political spin’. Of course, on the other side, journalists do still pursue and select from sources in order to get access to, and to extract, what they need for their stories. And each side is aware that the other may be engaged in strategic action that could amount to manipulation. Sometimes the goals of the two sides will be in close alignment, so that collusion is facilitated. At other times, there will be direct confrontation. Usually, though, the situation is somewhere between these two extremes, and each side may seek to work on the other to further its own goals.
