The truth games of public relations politics

This article employs thematic analysis to examine the relationships between public relations practitioners, their women politician clients, and the media they seek to influence in order to create and popularise particular truths. The six key themes considered within this article are truth, news values, coterie communication, gatekeepers, media training, and informalization. The article draws upon interviews conducted with women elected to New Zealand's national Parliament in 1994 and women who held mayoral office in 1996. It also draws upon interviews with the public relations practitioners who undertook media relations work for these women politicians.