| Reporters and law enforcement officers transact exchange relationships which spawn information on crime and law enforcement for public consumption.;Applying social exchange theory and Q-methodology, this study examines the nature and degree of exchange in the contemporary media-law enforcement relationship in two, medium-sized southwest Florida counties, and the implications of this exchange for public information.;The research evolves on the premise that exchange relationships of reporters and law enforcement officers are influenced by respective roles of the actors, their perceptions of one another, coverage of crime and law enforcement in the media, and the increasing prevalence of public information officers in law enforcement agencies.;Purposively-selected reporters and law enforcement officers complete questionnaires which are factor-analyzed, producing three primary patterns of perception. Selected participants are interviewed after completing the questionnaires.;In two of the patterns, more hard-line law enforcement officers are most likely to clash with newspaper reporters. The third pattern reveals more conciliation in the relationship, and largely involves more educated law enforcement officers and broadcast reporters.;Findings reveal that law enforcement officers and agencies have seized command in the relationship, due more to changing reportorial routines than a conspiracy to manipulate the news. Reporters are frequently unable or unwilling to develop diverse sources in law enforcement agencies, relying heavily on public information officers.;Therefore, any allegations of indiscrepancies and graft in law enforcement agencies will be increasingly difficult to confirm and publicize responsibly in the future. |
