ABSTRACT
The study now turns to examine the nature of the relationships which pattern the interaction between union press officers and their external environment. Chapter three suggested that it was not the possession of material resources as such, but the ways in which those resources could be invested to support and direct interaction between the representatives of source organisations and journalists which was of particular significance in the practice of press and media work. This chapter explores the relationship between union press officer and journalist in greater depth; it describes the nature of the ‘bargain’ through which many union press officers and correspondents direct their relations, but also begins to consider the intrusion of ‘external’ forces which disrupt and re-order such relations.
