This book investigates how individual politicians and political parties strategically make use of the media to reach their political goals. Looking beyond a purely Americentric viewpoint, the chapters present data from more than ten Western democracies to argue that the media are both a source of information and an arena for political communication. This double functional role of the media is examined from both a theoretical and an empirical perspective, including chapters dealing with different aspects of politics - from campaigning to law making - and within different political contexts. The role of the news media is discussed from the perspective of the political actor, focusing on both the opportunities and the constraints the news media provide, resulting in a multidisciplinary text that will appeal to students and scholars of both communication and political science.

An Introduction to Political Communication explores the relationship between politics, the media and democracy in the United Kingdom, the United States and other contemporary societies. In this textbook Brian McNair examines how politicians, trade unions, pressure groups, non-governmental organisations and terrorist organisations make use of the media. Separate chapters look at political media and their effects, the work of political advertising, marketing and public relations, and the communication practices of organisations at all levels, from grassroots campaigning through to governments and international bodies. Recent developments covered in the new edition includes: - the re-election of New Labour in 2001 - the changes in government information and communication policy introduced by the Blair administration since 1997 - the 2000 election of George W. Bush in the United States - the NATO interventions in Kosovo and the former Yugoslavia - the implications for international political communication of September 11 - the emergence of Al-Quaida and the war on terror

Against the background of an enormous expansion and diversification of both political communication itself and scientific research into its structures, processes, and effects, this volume gives an overview of some of the key theories and findings accumulated by political communication research over the last decades. In order to do so, the volume provides readers with review articles by renowned international authors on various aspects of (I) the normative, regulatory and conceptual foundations of political communication, (II) different situations of political communication (e.g., elections, referendums, social movements, media hypes, crisis and war), (III) the activities of and part played by political actors, (IV) mass media and journalism, (V) characteristics and typical features of media messages, (VI) the role played by citizens as well as (VII) various kinds of effects on citizens. Each section includes several chapters that address specific issues and research problems in the form of comprehensive overviews articles.

Using a comparative approach, this book examines how political communication and the mass media have played an important role in the consolidation of democratic institutions.

This book analyzes the impact of social media on democracy and politics at the sub-national level in developed and developing countries. Over the last decade or so, social media has transformed politics. Offering political actors opportunities to organize, mobilize, and connect with constituents, voters, and supporters, social media has become an important tool in global politics as well as a force for democracy. Most of the available research literature focuses on the impact of social media at the national level; this book fills that gap by analyzing the political uses of social media at the sub-national level. The book is divided into two parts. Part One, “Social Media for Democracy” includes chapters that analyze potential contributions of social media tools to the realizing of basic values of democracy, such as public engagement, transparency, accountability, participation and collaboration at the sub-national level. Part Two, “Social Media in Politics” focuses on the use of social media tools by political actors in political processes and activities (online campaigns, protests etc.) at the local, regional and state government levels during election and non-election periods. Combining theoretical and empirical analysis, each chapter provides evaluations of overarching issues, questions, and problems as well as real-world experiences with social media, politics, and democracy in a diverse sample of municipalities. This volume will be of use to graduate students, academicians, and researchers, in several disciplines and fields, such as public administration, political science, ICT, sociology, communication studies and public policy as well as politicians and practitioners.

This work examines the role and influence of the media in every sphere of American politics. Organized thematically, the book analyzes the relationship between the media and key institutions, political actors and nongovernmental entities, as well as the role of the new media, media ethics and foreign policy coverage. Written by leading scholars in the field, the chapters serve as broad overviews to the issues while discussion questions and suggestions for further reading encourage deeper inquiry. Designed to complement a wide variety of classes the book is a look at the pervasive influence of the media in American society.

An Introduction to Political Communication explores the relationship between politics, the media and democracy in the UK, the USA and other contemporary societies. Brian McNair examines how politicians, trade unions, pressure groups, non-governmental organizations and terrorist organizations make use of the media. Separate chapters look at political media and their effects, the work of political advertising, marketing and public relations and the communication practices of organizations at all levels, from grassroots campaigning through to governments and international bodies. Recent developments covered in the new edition include: * the re-election of New Labour in 2001 * the changes in government information and communication policy introduced by the Blair administration since 1997 * the 2000 election of George W. Bush in the United States * the NATO interventions in Kosovo and the former Yugoslavia * the implications for international political communication of September 11 * the emergence of Al-Quaida and the war on terror.

From the opening decades of the republic when political parties sponsored newspapers to current governmental practices that actively subsidize the collection and dissemination of the news, the press and the government have been far from independent. Unlike those earlier days, however, the news is no longer produced by a diverse range of individual outlets but is instead the result of a collective institution that exercises collective power. In explaining how the news media of today operate as an intermediary political institution, akin to the party system and interest group system, Cook demonstrates how the differing media strategies used by governmental agencies and branches respond to the constitutional and structural weaknesses inherent in a separation-of-powers system. Cook examines the news media's capacity to perform the political tasks that they have inherited and points the way to a debate on policy solutions in order to hold the news media accountable without treading upon the freedom of the press.

Citizens rely upon mass media as their principal sources of information on government and politics, but who decides what is reported and how? The selection of stories to be covered on the nightly news or in the morning newspaper, along with the content and framing of those stories, are subject to daily struggles between journalists, politicians, and others who seek to influence public opinion and public policy. Written by a distinguished group of authors that includes Walter Cronkite, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, and Kathleen Frankovic, this book explores who should, and who does, influence press coverage of politics in democratic countries. It considers how the media operate as an intermediary for communications between governments and citizens, between various political actors, and even among citizens. The new is indispensable for students of politics and government and for every reader interested in learning more about how news is made, where the problems and tensions lie, and how they can be corrected.