From the Back Cover
LONGMAN CLASSICS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
In revising classic works in political science, Longman celebrates the contributions its authors and their research have made to the discipline. The Longman Classics in Political Science series honors these authors and their work. Providing students with an updated context, each title in the series includes a new foreword, written by one of today’s top scholars, offering a fresh, in-depth analysis of the book and its enduring contributions.
…[T]his book is excellent. It is well-organized, incisively written, and suffused with vivid examples from social science and the news itself to illustrate Bennett’s arguments about the nature–and shortcomings–of the news.
--Danny Hayes, Syracuse University
Part of the Longman Classics in Political Science series, this renowned text–known for its lively writing style, provocative point of view, and exceptional scholarship–has been thoroughly revised and updated to include the most current case studies and the latest research. A favorite of students and instructors alike, this behind-the-scenes tour of the American media explores the central question: How well does the news, as the core of the national political information system, serve the needs of democracy? In examining this question, the text discusses how various political actors–from presidents and members of Congress, to interest organizations and citizen activists–try to convey their messages through the news.
New to the Eighth Edition
- Chapter One is greatly streamlined and outlines the key issues in press—politics that define the book.
- Several chapters present new case studies, including Chapter One’s examination of Stephen Colbert’s famous White House press dinner speech, which highlights the importance of political comedy programs to provide perspective when journalists face professional constraints.
- Chapter Three on public opinion now features “insider” material on polling and the news-driven nature of polls.
- Expanded coverage of digital media and citizen information networks emphasizes the fragmentation of these technologies and the need for mass media to aggregate viewpoints.
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