No Nonsense Guide To Global Media 2nd Edition

The power and influence of the mass media grows daily, crucially affecting the way all of us see and understand each other. The No-Nonsense Guide to Global Media introduces readers to the political economy of the major mediafilm, television, radio, recording, publishing and the Internet. Peter Steven looks at the ever greater concentration of ownership and at the convergence of technologies and media functions. At the same time, he emphasizes the diversity of local media production and media around the world. The media is more than the economics of ownership and the technology of production, he stresses; it is also audiences, in all their annoying and wonderful diversity.

Peter Steven explores the full spectrum of communications around the world, from the mega-corporations to the citizen reporters, from the newsrooms of Washington to the film industry of Nigeria. Steven examines the continuously shifting communications landscape, with a focus on how the media is responding to declining advertising revenues, social media sites, portable devices, and Asia's growing influence and power. With an emphasis on diverse small-scale media production that exist only through their contact with specific audiences, Steven invites us to question how the media reflects society, and he asks: are we passive recipients? Or do we play a part in constructing our world?

Terrorism and counter-terrorism have become key points in political talk and government policy. This No-Nonsense Guide has been revised and updated to take account of the major changes in global terrorism over the past seven years. Jonathan Barker presents a highly accessible history of terrorism that looks at examples from the Middle East and elsewhere, instances of state terrorism, and the terrorist fringes of political movements. He also delves beneath the surface, offering political and moral analysis of the causes and contexts of terrorism, the theories that justify and guide terrorist acts, and the battle of images that accompanies them.

Understanding Global Media offers a comprehensive overview of global media production and circulation, drawing insight from a range of perspectives, including politics, political economy, media and cultural studies, and creative industries. Grounded in extensive case study material in order to illustrate key debates, the book analyzes media industries, production, content, audiences, and policies on an international scale. It is both a comprehensive synthesis of existing academic work and an ambitious statement of new research directions. This book is an essential guide to understanding media today.