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This thesis examines the role of the British News Media in broader processes of state retrenchment that have occurred in Britain since the 1980s. This issue is examined through a range of empirical case studies, which are, respectively: (a) news reporting of the introduction of the poll tax; (b) news media relations and coverage of the voluntary and charitable sector; (c) the mediation of social scientific research; (d) trends in electoral news coverage; (e) coverage of quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations. Collectively, this work demonstrates the importance of communication and media factors in the systemic changes that have occurred over recent decades, and the need to attend to issues of context and process when theorising their nature and significance. The introduction also outlines the methodological and theoretical positions that have shaped this work.