But apparently a large number of other journalists are there mainly because the host government caters to their every need. The principal reason for this large expenditure of taxpayer dollars is that governments are deathly afraid that less than lavish facilities for the press will translate into stories about how the summit has failed, which will reflect poorly on the home government and perhaps cost it points in domestic politics. Economists' theories of public spending offer many reasons why this or that expenditure may be justified. Keeping journalists fat and happy isn't one of them - although perhaps that's a measure of economists' naivete. Of course, as much as the leaders gripe about the fact that the media manufacture stories, don't understand the true purpose of the summit, focus on winners and losers when in fact everyone wins from co-operation, blah, blah, blah, if the press weren't there, the leaders probably wouldn't be, either.
Flies do like honey.
In fact, one of the best-controlled summits, from the point of view of media relations, was our own first summit, at Montebello. At the end of each day's sessions, Pierre Trudeau flew off by helicopter to brief the assembled press, who had to content themselves with the joys of Ottawa in the summer, while the leaders were free to re-create themselves in and around that wonderful old recreation spot. That the procedure has never been repeated suggests isolation may not have appealed to them. As long as the press keep going, the politicians are bound to show up, and as long as the politicians show up, the press will be there. When you get down to it, most people like a circus.