News media are important cultural institutions, not least because it is perceived that they have the capacity to influence public opinion and political processes. Exactly how they do so, and with what consequences or effects, has always been a matter of debate, but there is no doubt that the power of perception in itself means that the people and corporations who own news media and thus have final say on editorial policy, then the editors and journalists responsible for content and then, too, the communications specialists who aim to shape and manage that content for various purposes and ends, are to a greater or lesser degree political actors. Political journalism (and political communication) may win or lose elections (as was claimed of the Murdoch-owned Sun in the UK in the 1980s), make or break careers, elevate or lower individuals in the public imagination. They have influence on and through the public sphere, on public opinion, and thence on those institutions and individuals who feel as if they need to take into account the state of public opinion in decision and policy-making. This in turn gives rise to the parallel profession of public relations. Since the very existence of public relations is premised on the existence of journalism as an agent of public opinion and a factor in political decision-making, I include films about public relations in this chapter. PR professionals such as Max Clifford in the UK are powerful figures, with a potentially huge impact on how their clients – be they politicians, pop stars, or members of the public who find themselves at the epicentre of media feeding frenzies – are represented by journalists.