Inside the police beat
Inside the Police Beat: Exploring Relationship Dynamics Between Police Officers and Police Beat Journalists in the Philippines
Cayetano, S.L.M.C. & Cortez, M.N.Q. (2016). Inside the Police Beat: Exploring Relationship Dynamics Between Police Officers and Police Beat Journalists in the Philippines, Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.
This thesis explored the working relationship between police officers and police beat journalists in the Philippines, using the Manila and Quezon City police districts as case studies.
Police officers and journalists are both in the business of serving the public. With public interest in crime still high, the police beat remains one of the busiest in the newsroom.
This thesis drew from Gieber and Johnson’s Model of Source-Reporter Relationships and Hon and Grunig’s Guidelines for Measuring Relationships in Public Relations to paint a picture of the working dynamics within the police beat. Through survey research and interviews with key informants, this thesis sought to understand what goes on in the police beat through the perspective of those who work within it.
The results of this thesis can serve as a starting point towards highlighting and addressing the issues and challenges that confront police-journalist relationship.
Key Words: Police beat, police officers, journalists, source-reporter relationship