The Communication of Politics

How should those who exercise power be made more accountable? And, what roles should the mass media play in that process? Can the public monitor the exercise of power without the existence of a strong and inquisitive media? The Communication of Politics explores these and other questions vital to the debate on the role of the media in the democratic process. This thought-provoking volume examines some of the often overlooked problems faced by the media and by journalists in their efforts to create an "informed" citizenry. Author Ralph Negrine argues that these are constrained on the one hand by the media′s relationships to those in government and the imperatives of governing, and on the other by the ambiguous information available to them. Questioning the practices that filter information, Negrine shows why the essential task of uncovering truths remains elusive. The Communication of Politics will complement more traditional approaches to the study of the role of the mass media in the democratic process and will be the standard reference for students of media \ communication studies and political science.

Ralph Negrine is Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Mass Communication Studies, Leicester University, UK. His publications include Politics and the Mass Media in Britain and Images of Disability on Television (with Guy Cumberbatch).