Journalism And Political Exclusion

The constraints of news production and the consequent limitations of news result directly in dissatisfaction throughout news audiences. News stories are frequently found to be inadequately informative to the extent that journalism is more inclined to generate political disenchantment, rather than prompt its audiences to pursue a fully engaged level of political participation in their societies. Journalism and Political Exclusion provides a multi-method, integrated analysis of news production and news audiences, including a long-term study of community activists in a central Canadian city. During the seven-year fieldwork period, different groups of research participants completed questionnaires, wrote news diaries, and were interviewed in their homes while viewing network television newscasts. Clarke shows that frustrations with the informational limitations of television and other news media are accelerated among women and the working-class often lack opportunities to access alternative information sources. The critical contribution of journalism to the production and reproduction of ideas about social reality is frequently acknowledged and assumed yet rarely investigated and demonstrated. Through an examination of the everyday realities of both news production and news reception, Journalism and Political Exclusion also shows how the current "crises" of professional journalism heighten the level of political exclusion experienced by various social groups.

The special language of poor-bashing disguises the real causes of poverty, hurts and excludes people who are poor, cheapens the labour of people who have jobs, and takes the pressure off the rich. Swanson, a twenty-five year veteran of anti-poverty work, exposes the ideology of poor-bashing in a clear, forceful style. She examines how media "poornography" operates when reporters cover poverty stories. She also reveals how government and corporate clients use poor-bashing focus groups. To make the book even more useful Swanson includes key chapters on the history of poor-bashing.

This report identifies critical factors preventing marginalized women’s inclusion in customary and democratic decision-making structures. It details specific strategies marginalized women and their supporters have adopted, ranging from direct action strategies in Somaliland to “soft” advocacy strategies in Cambodia, in overcoming barriers to their participation. The report’s 10 case studies gather knowledge and practical experience from around the world and show how women can impact on political processes through their participation in politics.

A state-of-the-art account of what we know and do not know about the effects of digital technology on democracy.

Is journalism under threat? Censorship, political pressure, intimidation, job insecurity and attacks on the protection of journalists’ sources - how can these threats be tackled?Journalism at Risk is a new book from the Council of Europe, in which ten experts from different backgrounds examine the role of journalism in democratic societies. Is journalism under threat? The image of journalists, as helmeted war correspondents protected by bullet-proof vests and armed only with cameras and microphones, springs to mind. Physical threats are only the most visible dangers, however. Journalists and journalism itself are facing other threats such as censorship, political and economic pressure, intimidation, job insecurity and attacks on the protection of journalists’ sources. Social media and digital photography mean that anyone can now publish information, which is also upsetting the ethics of journalism. How can these threats be tackled? What is the role of the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights and national governments in protecting journalists and freedom of expression? In this book, 10 experts from different backgrounds analyse the situation from various angles. At a time when high-quality, independent journalism is more necessary than ever – and yet when the profession is facing many different challenges – they explore the issues surrounding the role of journalism in democratic societies.

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 the most recent data, contributors to this volume illustrate shifts in political communication, from the brand-image management of political parties and the prime minister, to the evolving role of political journalists.

Social Inequalities, Media, and Communication: Theory and Roots provides a global analysis of the intersection of social inequalities, media, and communication. This book contains chapter contributions written by scholars from around the world who engage in country- and region-specific case studies of social inequalities in media and communication. The volume is a theoretical exploration of the classical, structuralist, culturalist, postmodernist, and postcolonial theoretical approaches to inequality and how these theoretical discourses provide critical understanding of social inequalities in relation to narratives shaped by media and communication experiences. The contributors provide class and gender analyses of media and culture, engage theoretical discourses of inequalities and capitalism in relation to communication technologies, and explore the cyclical relationship of theory and praxis in studying inequalities, media, and communication.

Overcoming Political Exclusion identifies hurdles preventing marginalized people from taking an active part in customary and democratic decision-making. The publication describes how marginalized groups—including people from religious, ethnic, and linguistic minorities; people facing caste-based discrimination; people with disabilities; young peop≤ indigenous peoples; people from remote geographical locations; and people discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation—have worked to overcome barriers to their participation in governance. Based on a 38 case studies written by activists from different parts of the world, the study identifies strategies that reflect how marginalized people have managed the transition from political exclusion to inclusion both in customary and democratic politics.