Hacks, Flacks, and Spin Doctors Meet the Media: An Examination of the Congressional Press Secretary as a (Potential) Public Relations Professional

Abstract

In this study, I examine the "theories in the heads" of the Congressional press secretaries, a group of professional communication managers, who, to date, have been neglected in the literature. The data—generated via a focus group, semistructured interviews, and a survey—suggest that the press secretaries, as they mature in their position, gradually (a) become members of the dominant coalition, (b) have a relationship with the media based on "guarded honesty."...