A good politician knows she needs the press. And Sarah Palin’s definitely a good politician. Her relationship with the news media, however, rests in a precarious position.

The Alaska governor made headlines this month when she came out against Katie Couric and the comedienne Tina Fey, women who, Palin claims, exploited her for their own gain. She has also lashed out at tabloids for following the trials and tribulations of her teenage daughter, Bristol, and her fiancé, Levi Johnston. The couple had their first child this month, a topic Palin didn’t shy away from while on the campaign trail — her children were often present at very public events.

While Palin insists her efforts against the press are simply to protect her children and set facts straight — for example, that the young couple are not high-school dropouts — analysts see something else happening: Palin’s intentionally causing controversy to remain in the national eye.

University of Alabama communications professor Janis Edwards waxes suspicious: "[Palin] does seem to have ambitions, and this is one way of staying in the public eye." Meanwhile, Leonard Steinhorn, a professor of communications at American University, wonders whether Palin’s biding her time before the 2012 presidential election, an election in which Palin said she could run. "I think she’s positioning herself," says Steinhorn. "She’s attacking the media as a way to generate support among a base she hopes will support her."

Attacking the press has long been a political game and plays off the public’s spoken or unspoken disdain for the "chattering classes" and "media elite." But such attacks can also draw journalistic ire. If the press feels alienated, so too could the coverage. Careful, Palin. It’s a tricky game.