ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at how journalists interact with government authorities across the broad fields of health, pollution control, natural resources and energy. Getting to know key government officials, sometimes called cultivating sources, is vitally important. There is no way to brand everyone the same, including government officials. Depending upon the nation one is dealing with, access to key officials or scientists at government agencies will vary. Many government agencies have hired public information officers (PIOs). The Society of Professional Journalists found in a survey in the US of 146 reporters that three-quarters needed to get permission from a PIO officer to interview a government official, and two-thirds were prohibited from such an interview at least some of the time. Basically the US Act seeks to identify species that are in danger of becoming extinct and working on a management plan to offer protection.
