Doris Graber’s classic text on the mass media continues a strong tradition of combining comprehensive coverage and cutting-edge theory. An ideal core text, this trusted and balanced volume explores the foundations of the American mass media system with a focus on political and technological developments. Graber shows students how the media influences governmental institutions and functions, and in turn how the government shapes the way the media works and disseminates information. Her broad coverage has three focal points: the news media’s role in both the public and private sectors; the media’s impact on the attitudes and perceptions of ordinary Americans and political elites; and the ways in which the news media cover governmental institutions and political situations.
The seventh edition is thoroughly updated to reflect the ever-growing impact of narrowcasting and outlets outside of traditional mediums, such as cable television. The impact of media consolidation and regulatory policies are explored before turning to how media structures and operations function under both normal and extraordinary circumstances, with war coverage, censorship, embedded journalists and consequences of the Patriot Act receiving new and expanded attention. Graber also discusses in greater depth the impact of entertainment media, while coverage of the Internet in politics—its role in elections, the role of bloggers—is given specific emphasis. In addition, new material on the recent 2004 campaigns and elections are infused throughout the book, with tables and figures showcasing current data and original research.
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Mass Media and American Politics, 7th Edition Table of Contents Tables, Figures, and Boxes Reviews “From the first to the most current edition, Doris Graber’s Mass Media and American Politics is simply the best available text on the media’s central role in politics and policy-making. Because of the thoughtful organization and comprehensive treatment of the most important aspects in the media-government-public opinion relationships, this book is ideally suited for college-level courses.” - Brigitte Nacos, Columbia University“Graber’s Mass Media and American Politics is the definitive textbook on the subject. The material is presented with the most up-to-date research and discussed in the context of well-developed theoretical concepts. The book is detailed in information and analysis and, as importantly, well-written. This book is actually the one text my students actually enjoy reading.” - Harry Wessel, Merrimack College“Doris Graber’s seventh edition is superb. Her clear, lucid articulation of the theoretical roles of media in a democracy is linked in a precise, understandable, and accurate fashion to the practical world of media operations and impact. For the scholar, practitioner, student, and citizen, this text is unsurpassed in its content and clarity.” - Donald L. Fowler, University of South CarolinaBio(s)
Doris A. Graber, University of Illinois at Chicago Doris Graber is professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has written and edited numerous articles and books on the media and public opinion, including Media Power in Politics, Fifth Edition (2006), The Power of Communication: Managing Information in Public Organizations (2003), and Processing Politics: Learning from Television in the Internet Age (2001), which won the 2003 Goldsmith Book Prize. This award is given by the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. |