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Mediated Democracy
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Mediated Democracy
Politics, the News, and Citizenship in the 21st Century

First Edition


August 2020 | 344 pages | CQ Press
Mediated Democracy: Politics, the News, and Citizenship in the 21st Century takes a contemporary, communications-oriented perspective on the central questions pertaining to the health of democracies and relationships between citizens, journalists, and political elites. The approach marries clear syntheses of cutting-edge research with practical advice explaining why the insights of scholarship affects students’ lives. With active, engaging writing, the text will thoroughly explain why things are the way they are, how they got that way, and how students can use the insights of political communication research to do something about it as citizens.

 
Tables and Figures
 
About the Authors
 
Acknowledgments
 
Preface
 
Chapter 1: Mediated Democracy: An Introduction
What Is Political Communication?

 
Why Political Communication Matters

 
The Alarm–Patrol Hybrid Model

 
Political Communication Helps Determine Winners, What We Know, and What We Think About

 
Twenty-First Century Political Communication, Democratic Citizenship, and You

 
Communication and Civic Competence in the Twenty-First Century

 
From Research to Real Life

 
 
Chapter 2: Why the News Is the Way It Is
Journalistic Models, Routines, and Professional Norms

 
Indexing

 
Journalists’ Perceptions of Themselves and Their Jobs

 
Journalists’ Perceptions of Their Audience

 
Market Forces and the News

 
Audience Demands and Behavior

 
The Future of News

 
From Research to Real Life

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 3: The Communication Ecology: Information Flows and Public Opinion
The Twenty-First Century Communication Ecology: An Early Check-In

 
The Structure of the Communication Ecology

 
Hybridization and Information Flow in the Communication Ecology

 
From Research to Real Life

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 4: Are Media Biased?
Defining Media

 
Defining Bias

 
Partisan News

 
Fake News

 
From Research to Real Life

 
 
Chapter 5: The Politics of Attention
How Politicians Communicate With Media

 
How Politicians Communicate With the Public

 
How the Public Talks Back

 
Talking Politics Online

 
Communicating Which Issues Are Important

 
From Research to Real Life

 
 
Chapter 6: Framing the News: When and How It Matters to the Audience
Preferences and Frame Types

 
The Future of Framing Research

 
From Research to Real Life

 
 
Chapter 7: Who’s Biased Now?: How People Interpret the Media They Use
Choosing Media Messages

 
Interpreting Media Messages

 
Reacting to Media

 
From Research to Real Life

 
 
Chapter 8: Political Advertising
Creating Campaign Ads

 
Ad Spending

 
Ad Content

 
News Media and Political Ads

 
From Research to Real Life

 
 
Chapter 9: Mediated Elections
Fundamentals of Elections

 
Roles of the Media in Elections

 
Types of Election Coverage

 
Gender, Race, and Election Coverage

 
Social Media and Elections: The New Frontier

 
Effects of Mediated Campaigns

 
From Research to Real Life

 
 
Chapter 10: Governing, Policymaking, and the Media
The News Media as a Political Institution

 
Agenda-Setting and Public Policy

 
Journalistic Methods That Contribute to Policy Action

 
From Research to Real Life

 
 
Chapter 11: The Future of Mediated Politics
New Technology

 
The Public–News Media Relationship

 
A Changing News Industry

 
The Great Divide

 
Media and Politics Post-Trump

 
 
Notes
 
Index

"Brought to life with recent and relevant examples, [Mediated Democracy] talks directly to and respects younger audiences, encouraging them to understand the relationships between news media, politicians, and audiences."

Megan Duncan, Ph.D.
Virginia Tech

"[Mediated Democracy] is an accessible deep-dive into the theory of political communication, and how it is able to inform our understanding of how communication and politics interact in today's changing media environment."

Mike Gruszczynski
Indiana University-Bloomington

"[Mediated Democracy] has a good grasp on the challenges faced by journalists trying to cover today's political environment, which should help students be more prepared to understand the world around them. The text is an approachable, concise, and quite thorough account of today's complex political media environment."

Jay Wendland
Daemen College
Key features

 

  • Highly accessible writing style that is equally informative and approachable for students new to the discipline. 
  • Engaging interview transcripts from communications professionals in the field, academics, and politicians appear in each chapter:DIY Research promotes student research skills from professional perspectives while How Can I Help? features provide students with real-world guidance on being an active, engaged citizen.
  • Detailed tables and figures capture the amount of fake news headlines, measurements of media trust, and generational use of communication tools.    

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 1

Chapter 2


For instructors

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