ABSTRACT
Public officials and members of the media share a healthy mutual scepticism. Myths and stereotypes abound, but they are no less powerful for that. Many journalists, whether they are members of the electronic or print media, seem to think that the key aim of public officials (and here we should include police and military officers) is to veil incompetence in the cloak of secrecy. The public official is fair game: break through the wall of anonymity, and there will almost certainly be a scoop between the filing cabinets and the unwashed tea cups!
