The Media and the Presidency: An Exchange Analysis
The concept that journalists often use to explain their interaction with government officials is that of an adversary relationship. In their view officials try to convey an image of what is happening in government that is favorable to themselves or their program, while reporters seek instead to present the public with a plain picture of the truth-warts and all.' Out of these divergent roles and interests conflict inevitably emerges, and journalists commonly regard the struggle as one in which essentially weak reporters pit their courage and resourcefulness against a panoply of formidable weapons in the hands of officials, including deceit and intimidation. While the adversary element in the relationship between the media and the government is clearly a strong one, it fails to explain a wide range of behavior and activities that occur in the contacts between the parties involved. Most especially, the adversary concept provides no mechanism for understanding the enormous amount of cooperation and even collaboration that takes place in the interaction between press (used synonymously in this article with the term "media") and government. Of course there is a strongly held view among journalists that the relationship between the president and the media is affected by