ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the relationship between intelligence agencies and news media in Anglophone democratic countries, where the secret services should play a vital role in protecting the state from non-democratic change. Since the emergence of Islamist terrorism in the 21st century, and the globe-wide counter-terrorism offensive, the attrition on civil liberties in many nations has been high. Intelligence agencies, cloaked in a culture of secrecy, are the most challenging organs of the state on which the news media can shine their Fourth Estate spotlight. In Payne’s second category, when a major story involving national security breaks, an inflow of general reporters may cover the story, making the best contacts they can in the moment and using the ‘cuttings’ library for content.
