This thesis explores the dynamics and complexities of the press-politician relationship
in the context of the British Columbia Legislature and Press Gallery. The relationship is
examined from theoretical, historical/institutional, practical, and political perspectives. The
evidence presented suggests that although the press-politician relationship is necessarily
symbiotic, it is also characterized by conflict and attempts by both press and politicians to
achieve independence of each other. As such, the relationship is most accurately described as
one of "adversarial symbiosis." The sources of strain and the constructive elements of the
relationship work in tandem to move the province closer to the ideals of legislative
democracy as the relationship evolves over time.
Provincial press galleries are notoriously under-documented, both through
independent research and through their own administration. To date, there has not been a
comprehensive study of the British Columbia Press Gallery as an institution of the
Legislature. As a result, this thesis relies heavily on oral history, provided through semi-structured
interviews with current and former members of the Press Gallery, and published
biographies of B.C. journalists and politicians. This thesis was also informed by a review of
the existing literature on the Canadian, Australian and British Parliamentary Press Galleries,
archival research at the B.C. Legislative Library and Press Gallery offices and personal
observation and analysis afforded by the author's six-month Legislative Internship in the B.C.
Legislature. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/5834 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Reeder, Sarah Katherine |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Format | 4917651 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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