Due to the transcontinental nature of news by means of the wire services and television, the news media have been known to affect foreign policy and foreign relations(larson,1986). harris(1999) identified several areas in which the news has an effect on foreign affairs, including the area of diplonmatic negotiations,the media's focus on particular images,and the reliance of the news media on government soures for information. harris pointed out that diplomatic negotiations between countries are rarely secret,due to the news media,and usually highly public affairs. "Although such public scrutiny has probably placed some highly desirable curbs on corruption and extralegal chicanery,it has alos made legitimate secret negotiations in the public interest much harder to keep secret"(p. 160).