Public Relations and the Production of News: A Critical Review and Theoretical Framework

Abstract

Because the source-reporter relationship forms the focal point of news gathering, it is a significant topic in the media sociology literature. Most of the source-reporter literature, however, focuses on the routines and values of the reporter. In this chapter the authors argue that public relations often sets the agenda for news media simply because the source in source-reporter interaction is often either a public relations practitioner or a practitioner’s client. A three-section model explaining the role and impact of public relations in the news-gathering and news dissemination process is presented and used to organize a review of the literature. The source-reporter relationship section of the model includes studies of mutual assessments and power dynamics. The organizational section contains studies of practices and values in public relations, including ethics and professional values such as routines and news values. The societal section of the model covers studies pertaining to information subsidies and other influences on news media agendas, such as marketing pressures. A summary assessment of the source-reporter literature concludes that too much of the scholarly research has been merely descriptive. Theoretical directions are suggested to enrich public relations research and our understanding of public relations practice.

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