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The media habits of diplomats make it clear that there is a close relationship between their work and the news of the day. A deputy foreign minister or an ambassador may personally scan more than half a dozen daily newspapers and weekly news magazines; he will also listen to broadcast news and view the major television news program if he can.1 Meanwhile, his subordinates are reading even more newspapers, monitoring the broadcast media, and referring relevant information to him.

Nearly every government has one or more offices that monitor both the domestic and foreign press, make recordings of radio and television broadcasts, and distribute summaries of media content to foreign office officials and others. At embassies throughout the world, diplomatic personnel spend a great deal of time keeping up with the press of the host country as well as with the domestic press of their own country. In addition, they may rely on third country media to keep themselves generally informed. At certain times every day one would find a large proportion of senior diplomatic personnel at embassies of many countries throughout the world tuned to the BBC morning news, broadcast by short wave from London.2

The role of the wire services deserves special mention. At every major foreign office and at many embassies, one finds wire service tickers clacking out news. The printouts are examined frequently (at one foreign office every fifteen minutes) by officials designated for this task, and are distributed to other officials with particular geographical or functional responsibilities. These reports may cause cables to be dispatched, they may affect a decision that is being made, or they may lead to the preparation of an explanatory statement.

A member of the foreign office of a major European power described how the wire services had entered into one decision. "Recently the

Prime Minister asked for a briefing [on a developing crisis] at 11:00 in the morning. I stayed with the ticker until 10:55 and then rushed over to the Prime Minister's office with my arms full of paper. Literally all we had on it was from the agencies/' The same Prime Minister frequently asked for 8:00 a.m. briefings on reports received from the wire service during the night.

On occasion, diplomatic officials supplement news reports by obtaining information directly from journalists. A European newsman who had been stationed in Washington recalled that the embassy of his country would frequently call up and make some such request as, "Have you anything more on the President's press conference, beyond what was carried on the wires?" An ambassador, who did not have a news agency ticker at his embassy, mentioned that he maintained close contact with some of the local wire service personnel. "They would let me know if anything happened that might affect our interests." Another high official stated more generally that he met informally with the press whenever he could, as much to obtain information as to present his own country's viewpoint.

This enormous intake of news involves a considerable effort, as evidenced by the fact that retired diplomatic personnel usually cut down sharply on their use of the media. One negotiator, who had recently returned to private life, exclaimed when asked about his media habits, "I'm happy to say that I don't have to read the press any longer." Several diplomats in active service mentioned that they had difficulty finding time to monitor as many news sources as they thought they should.

The news diets of high level diplomatic personnel concerned with European affairs heavily overlap, regardless of which country they represent or where they are stationed. There are, of course, individual differences in interests and requirements, but any ranking foreign affairs official in Western Europe is likely to be familiar with the content of at least three or four of the following publications: The Times of London, Le Monde, Neue Zьrcher Zeitung, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, The International Herald-Tribune, The Economist, and the European editions of Newsxveek and Time. Also extremely important, but mentioned somewhat less frequently, are The Guardian, The Financial Times of London, Stockholm's Dagens Nyheter, and Munich's Sьddeutsche Zeitung.

Among diplomats stationed in Washington and New York, The New York Times leads the list, followed by The Washington Post. Non-American diplomats in Western Europe rarely see The New York Times, but are familiar with its content—sometimes through clippings sent to them from their missions in the United States, sometimes through cabled reports or press summaries. When asked why they did not read it personally, most mentioned that it arrived one or two days late and added that The International Herald Tribune (IHT), published in Paris, was available on the day of publication. Some remarked that since the IHT is sponsored jointly by The New York Times and The Washington Post they felt it could be used as a substitute for these newspapers. In approximately half of the cases where interviews were conducted in an official's office, a copy of the IHT could be seen on his desk or on a nearby table.

To an extent not ordinarily realized, the press serves as the eyes and ears of diplomacy. Diplomatic reporting and national intelligence services play a significant supporting role, but most of the information reaching governments about developments throughout the world comes from the wire services, newspapers, news magazines, radio, and television. Furthermore, mass media reports come in first; supplementary information via diplomatic or intelligence channels arrives hours, days, or even weeks later.3 And it is often maintained that much of the information flowing through official channels is originally culled from the press in any case.4

Several diplomats and newsmen volunteered the opinion that the quality international press plays a particularly important part in supplying information to countries where communications are tightly controlled. An official of one foreign office mentioned that the Soviets relied heavily on the international press; "otherwise, their government is poorly informed." A senior foreign correspondent added that the information reaching Moscow through diplomatic and intelligence channels was of poor quality and tended to arrive late. These remarks suggest a hypothesis that clamors for exploration: that countries restricting the outflow of information also impoverish the inflow.