Communicating Politics

From propaganda to protests, this book provides an in depth study of politics and the media today. Using historical and contemporary examples, Sanders covers the essential theory and key research in the field. Topical and comprehensive, this book covers everything students need to know about the global world of political communication.

Changes in technology and media consumption are transforming the way people communicate about politics. Are they also changing the way politicians communicate to the public? Political Communication in Canada examines the way political parties, politicians, interest groups, the media, and citizens are using new tactics, tools, and channels to disseminate information, and also investigates the implications of these changes. Drawing on recent examples, contributors review such things as the branding of the New Democratic Party, how Stephen Harper’s image is managed, and politicians’ use of Twitter. They also discuss the evolving role of political journalism, including media coverage of politics and how Canadians use the Internet for political discussions. In an era when political communication – from political marketing to citizen journalism – is of vital importance to the workings of government, this timely volume provides insight into the future of Canadian democracy.

British and American experts in political communication discourse on a variety of topics involving governments, the mass media and the public: journalists and public institutions, the uses of television, secrecy, manipulation of information, public ignorance, all the usual topics. Questions of foreign policy are not the main fare, but all the essays are relevant to the handling of international news. The American contributors are especially pointed in their criticism of both official Washington and the U.S. media for deceiving or shortchanging the public. -- from http://www.foreignaffairs.com (Feb. 21, 2014).

Half of our eligible citizens fail to cast a presidential ballot and many more than half routinely ignore state and local elections. Does this phenomenon point to a crisis of democracy or does such behavior simply reflect indifference - or even contentment - among the public? Should we be alarmed that so many of our citizens seem disinterested and unwilling to participate in the various activities and forms of association that constitute civic life? If we are concerned by such matters, what might be done to reengage those who are seemingly disengaged? This book explores these questions and examines the well being of our civic condition at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Grounded in a communication perspective, we view the fundamental nature of a democracy as that of a civic dialogue - an ongoing conversation between our elected leaders or political candidates and the citizens they lead or wish to lead. Accordingly, the studies presented in this volume examine our civic sphere and the electoral process as a communicative interaction between elected officials, political candidates, the media, and citizens.

A comprehensive, up to date, and probing examination of media and politics in Canada.

The world of political communication is morphing almost constantly into new areas and realities. Online-only news, Web 2.0 user-created content, hyperlocal news, and the rise of the Twittersphere have all contributed to an ever-changing media environment. Communicating Politics Online captures the constant change of new online media.

Learn how political marketing and public relations affect the electoral process! Communication of Politics: Cross-Cultural Theory Building in the Practice of Public Relations and Political Marketing examines how communication and marketing experts influence politics. The book reviews the state of the art in political communication management and marketing through a cross-cultural integration of research and theoretical approaches. An international panel of authors presents a comparative assessment of the impact of candidate and party appeals on the electorate, examines case studies from elections in the United States and Europe, and offers innovative models of voter behavior in the United States, Poland, and Slovenia. Communication of Politics provides valuable insights into the merger of political marketing and public relations. The book examines the cause and effect of the increasing role of communications professionals in the political process and documents the relationship between politicians and communications professionals working in electoral committees, political parties, governments, government agencies, consultancies, and polling agencies. Topics addressed by the international panel of scholars and practitioners include: a critical assessment of strategies used in the 2000 United States Presidential election branding as a means of establishing party values and winning support the expanding roles of polls, focus groups and Internet-based research on elections the relationship between foreign affairs/diplomacy and media/public relations Quangos (Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organizations) and much more! Communication of Politics: Cross-Cultural Theory Building in the Practice of Public Relations and Political Marketing examines the innovative—and sometimes controversial—uses of contemporary electoral marketing. The book is an essential resource for academics, journalists, and political practitioners, including campaign managers, charity fundraisers, public service managers, party-policy-makers—even candidates.

In this completely revised and updated edition (including eight new chapters), Jeffrey Jones charts the evolution and maturation of political entertainment television by examining The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, Politically Incorrect/Real Time with Bill Maher, and Michael Moore's TV Nation and The Awful Truth. This volume investigates how and why these shows have been central locations for the critique of political and economic power and an important resource for citizens during numerous political crises. In an age of Truthiness, fake news and humorous political talk have proven themselves viable forms of alternative reporting and critical means for ascertaining truth, and in the process, questioning the legitimacy of news media's role as the primary mediator of political life. The book also addresses the persistent claims that these programs have cynical effects and create misinformed young citizens, demonstrating instead how such programming provides for an informed, active, and meaningful citizenship. The new edition takes account of the many changes that have occurred in television and political culture since Entertaining Politics' initial release.