The Politics of Persuasion

Anthony R. DiMaggio

ISBN 10: 1438463456 / ISBN 13: 9781438463452

Published by State University of New York Press, US, 2017

About this Item

Examines how the US media covers high-profile public policy issues in the context of competing claims about media bias.Tracking the effects of media content on the public is a difficult endeavor, and media effects vary on a subject-to-subject basis. To address this challenge, The Politics of Persuasion employs a multifaceted, mixed method approach to studying mass media and public attitudes. Anthony R. DiMaggio analyzes more than a dozen case studies covering US domestic economic policy and examines a wide range of theories of how bias operates in mass media with regard to coverage of these issues. While some research claims that journalists are overly negative and biased against government officials, some reveals that journalists favor citizens groups. Still other studies contend there is a liberal bias in the media, a progovernment bias, or a bias in favor of advertisers and business interests. Through his analysis, DiMaggio is the first to systematically examine all of these competing interpretations. He concludes that reporters tailor stories to corporate and government interests, but argues that the ability to "manufacture consent" from the public in favor of these elite views is far from guaranteed. According to DiMaggio, citizens often make use of their own personal experiences and prior attitudes to challenge official narratives.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781438463452

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Politics of Persuasion
• Publisher: State University of New York Press, US
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1438463456
• ISBN 13: 9781438463452
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 771 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Examines how the US media covers high-profile public policy issues in the context of competing claims about media bias.

Tracking the effects of media content on the public is a difficult endeavor, and media effects vary on a subject-to-subject basis. To address this challenge, The Politics of Persuasion employs a multifaceted, mixed method approach to studying mass media and public attitudes. Anthony R. DiMaggio analyzes more than a dozen case studies covering US domestic economic policy and examines a wide range of theories of how bias operates in mass media with regard to coverage of these issues. While some research claims that journalists are overly negative and biased against government officials, some reveals that journalists favor citizens groups. Still other studies contend there is a liberal bias in the media, a progovernment bias, or a bias in favor of advertisers and business interests. Through his analysis, DiMaggio is the first to systematically examine all of these competing interpretations. He concludes that reporters tailor stories to corporate and government interests, but argues that the ability to "manufacture consent" from the public in favor of these elite views is far from guaranteed. According to DiMaggio, citizens often make use of their own personal experiences and prior attitudes to challenge official narratives.

About the Author

Anthony R. DiMaggio is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Lehigh University and the author of Selling War, Selling Hope: Presidential Rhetoric, the News Media, and U.S. Foreign Policy since 9/11, also published by SUNY Press.