Synopses & Reviews
This book explores the changing nature of democracy in light of dramatic changes in the media of mass communication: the Internet, the decline of network television news and the daily newspaper; the growing tendency to treat election campaigns as competing product advertisements; the blurring lines among news, ads, and entertainment. It explores such questions as: Does the Internet make it easier for citizens to find political information? Do today's highly competitive old and new mass media serve the needs of democratic citizenship? Does the new media environment produce public opinion that is more or less manipulated, or manipulated in new ways?
Review
"...remarkably good...What matters is that the contributions are of a consistently high standard. They are both up-to-the-minute and often of lasting value. Although some caught my eye as especially good and interesting, it would be invidious to pick out any for special treatment here. The volume as a whole is important and develops some interesting insights and arguments. If you are interested in communications and the future democracy then this is a useful and important book." Mediated Democracy
Table of Contents
1. Mediated politics: an introduction W. Lance Bennett and Robert M. Entman; Part I. Democracy and the Public Sphere: 2. The public sphere and the net: structure, space, and communication Peter Dahlgren; 3. Promoting political engagement William A. Gamson; 4. The internet and the global public sphere Colin Sparks; Part II. Citizens, Consumers, and Media in Transition: 5. Reporting and the push for market-oriented journalism: media organizations as businesses Doug Underwood; 6. Political discourse and the politics of need: discourses on the good life in cyberspace Don Slater; 7. Dividing practices: segmentation and targeting in the emerging public sphere Oscar Gandy; 8. Let us infotain you: politics in the new media environment Michael X. Delli Carpini and Bruce A. Williams; 9. The future of the institutional media Timothy E. Cook; Part III. Mediated Political Information and Public Opinion: 10. Reframing public opinion as we have known it Robert M. Entman and Susan Herbst; 11. Political waves and democratic discourse: terrorism waves during the Oslo peace process Gadi Wolfsfeld; 12. Monica Lewinsky and the mainsprings of American politics John Zaller; 13. The big spin: strategic communication and the transformation of pluralist democracy W. Lance Bennett and Jarol B. Manheim; 14. The impact of the new media W. Russell Neuman; Part IV. Mediated Campaigns: 15. Issue advocacy in a changing discourse environment Kathleen Hall Jamieson; 16. Implications of rival visions of electoral campaigns C. Edwin Baker; 17. Mediated electoral democracy: campaigns, incentives, and reform Bruce Buchanan; 18. 'Americanization' reconsidered: UK-US campaign communication comparisons across time Jay G. Blumler and Michael Gurevitch; Part V. Citizens: Present and Future: 19. Citizen discourse and political participation: a survey Roderick P. Hart; 20. Adapting political news to twenty-first century Americans Doris A. Graber; 21. National identities and the future of democracy Wendy M. Rahn and Thomas J. Rudolph; 22. Communication in the future of democracy: a conclusion.