| In June 1977 the International Communication Association conducted its 27th Annual Conference in Berlin, Germany, in conjunction with the Institut fr Publizistik Der Freien Universitt Berlin. One of the co-editors of this volume was responsible for organizing programs for the Political Communication Division of ICA at that conference. One such program consisted of a symposium, "Government-Press Relations: A Cross-National Examination." It quickly became apparent from the quality of the papers presented at that symposium, the level of discussion, and the surprisingly large attendance, that scholars in a variety of nations were intensely interested in questions of how governments and the news media relate to one another. It was out of a desire to confront that interest and to stimulate it even more that the idea for this anthology originated. As a result we set about contacting students of government-press relations throughout the world, inquiring about their current research activities and their thoughts about organizing a volume that would provide a comparative analysis of the key aspects of relationships between government and the news media in diverse continental and national settings. The results of that effort are reflected in the essays that comprise this volume. |
| Because the 1977 Berlin symposium provided a strong impetus for this project, we feel indebted to the scholars who took part in that initial effort to provide cross-national perspectives on government-press relations. Recognition should go first to L. John Martin, University of Maryland, who chaired that symposium. Three participants in that Berlin discussion agreed to contribute to this volume: Rozann Rothman, Dina Goren, and Young C. Kim. It should be noted, however, that their contributions to this anthology were written specifically for the work and are not mere revisions of their earlier papers. Other participants in the symposium provided useful insights regarding what this volume should contain as well as suggestions for potential contributors. They include Jeremy Tunstall, City University of London, Svennik Hoyer, University of Oslo, and John C. Merrill, University of Maryland. |
| Naturally, the editors of any volume of the scope and variety of this one incur a large number of obligations to numerous people. There are, for example, the contributors not previously acknowledged: David Boyce, Francis Balle, Jean Marie Cotteret, Roberto Petrognani, Osmo |
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