ABSTRACT
Liberal journalism requires an approach in which opinion is separated from fact, which is then presented to the audience in an apparently neutral form. Across the USA, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, the production of fact-centred news is the ideal against which the success of liberal journalism is measured. The research into source relationships focuses on three aspects of information exchange. The first approach suggests an adversarial relationship in which the doughty reporter harries officialdom for the truth. The second approach sees source choices as inevitably reflective of existing power structures. A third approach sees journalists as a 'pack', or more politely as an 'interpretative community'. Berkowitz and TerKeurst argue that relationships with key sources are often so close that they have effectively become a part of the 'interpretive community'. Associated Press (AP), Reuters, Agence France Press and the Press Association are organizations that employ journalists. Journalists are trained always to look for 'authoritative' sources who will provide facts.
