Negotiation Games

Abstract

This study analyzes the interpretive repertoires used by public relations (PR) advisors of Dutch politicians to describe their relations with talk show journalists. A qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews revealed that the dominant repertoires come from the realm of play. PR advisors downplay the power struggle to position politicians on talk shows as a competitive game while at the same time they legitimize their close relationships with journalists with another play metaphor, the rehearsed stage play. Moreover, comparing politicians’ appearances on talk shows with stage performances gives them the opportunity to brush aside the contradiction between their extensive pre-broadcast preparations and the authentic appearance they attempt to emulate. Studying the interpretive repertoires of advisors working in PR and how they fruitfully combine the elements of struggle and cooperation sheds light on the structures and strategies that define journalist–source relationships. It provides insights into how PR advisors perceive and enact their own role, which often goes unnoticed both in research and by the general public.

KEYWORDS:

• authenticity
• interpretive repertoires
• journalism
• journalist–source relations
• politics
• PR
• television formats
• television talk shows

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The other two are Alea, or chance, i.e. playing a slot machine, and Ilinx, or vertigo, changing perception, i.e. by using drugs.

2. In this article, a single term (PR advisor) has been chosen for the sake of coherence.

3. It should be noted that Dutch talk shows differ from the Anglo-American ones. Whereas Anglo-American daily talk shows, for example, focus on personal stories, social topics, and taboos, with Oprah as the most famous example, late-night talk shows in the United States and the United Kingdom are satirical one-man shows, focused on ridiculing daily news and mocking famous guests. Examples of those shows are David Letterman’s Late Night and Late Show, The Colbert Report in the United States, or The Graham Norton Show in the United Kingdom. Dutch talk shows, be it morning or late-night talk, contain a greater portion of “serious talk.” Although they have also been accused of personalization and emotionalization instead of providing hard, critical interviews, especially the public service broadcasting shows try to combine the entertaining character of a talk show with the informative function of public broadcast, discussing daily news topics, and social and cultural matters with a combination of celebrities and more serious guests, like politicians (Van Dijk, Nahuis, and Waagmeester 2005; Wijfjes 2009).

4. This article is part of the PhD project “Politicians in talk shows—behind the scenes. How the program’s format influences the visible and hidden interaction between politicians and journalists, and vice versa,” which includes interviews with journalists, politicians, PR advisors, and ethnographic research.