Seminal research by Steve Chibnall more than 30 years ago on the relationship between the Metropolitan police and crime correspondents concluded that the balance of power was asymmetrically in favour of the police.
The research appeared long before 24-hour news, social media, the growth in corporate communications departments or the police's reaction to the phone-hacking scandal, which exposed overly cosy relationships between officers and News of the World executives.
Two years ago criminologist Rob Mawby revisited Chibnall's work, and warned: "There are reasons to fear for the future ability of crime reporters to provide independent critical reporting on policing and crime … The asymmetric police-media relationship identified by Chibnall therefore endures and has become more pronounced in terms of police dominance of the relationship."
Today, in the aftermath of a scandal which shook Britain's biggest police force to its core, power seems more firmly in the hands of the Met police – or, to be more precise, very senior officers and the management board – than at any time in the past.
There is no doubt that there has been a necessary examination of the framework for conducting police and media relationships as forces react – and sometimes overreact – to the phone-hacking scandal and the Leveson inquiry.
Some within the police service and outside argue that more formalisation and a tightening of control are welcome. Others, including senior police officers, see the benefits of an open and trusting relationship with specialist crime journalists for policing purposes and the public good, and warn against discarding a relationship which has worked to the benefit of the public, the police and the media for decades............
for more details go to the following link.....
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jul/22/scotland-yard-phone-hacking-scandal
The research appeared long before 24-hour news, social media, the growth in corporate communications departments or the police's reaction to the phone-hacking scandal, which exposed overly cosy relationships between officers and News of the World executives.
Two years ago criminologist Rob Mawby revisited Chibnall's work, and warned: "There are reasons to fear for the future ability of crime reporters to provide independent critical reporting on policing and crime … The asymmetric police-media relationship identified by Chibnall therefore endures and has become more pronounced in terms of police dominance of the relationship."
Today, in the aftermath of a scandal which shook Britain's biggest police force to its core, power seems more firmly in the hands of the Met police – or, to be more precise, very senior officers and the management board – than at any time in the past.
There is no doubt that there has been a necessary examination of the framework for conducting police and media relationships as forces react – and sometimes overreact – to the phone-hacking scandal and the Leveson inquiry.
Some within the police service and outside argue that more formalisation and a tightening of control are welcome. Others, including senior police officers, see the benefits of an open and trusting relationship with specialist crime journalists for policing purposes and the public good, and warn against discarding a relationship which has worked to the benefit of the public, the police and the media for decades............
for more details go to the following link.....
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jul/22/scotland-yard-phone-hacking-scandal
