Political Communication Bundle

At a time of radical shifts in power across the globe, the sixth edition of An Introduction to Political Communication examines the role of the media in the political process. Brian McNair reflects on the role of communication in key events such as the referendum vote for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, the rise of nationalist populism in Europe, and the victory of Donald Trump in the 2016 US presidential election. He explores the use of communication as a weapon by Islamic State and other insurgent organisations, and by Putin’s Russia in its dealings with the West, including the hacking of Democratic Party emails in 2016. McNair argues that an expanding globalised public sphere and digital media network have transformed political communication, allowing political actors, from politicians and pressure groups to trade unions and terrorist organisations, to bypass traditional, established media in communicating their messages. This sixth edition of McNair’s classic text has been comprehensively revised and updated to include: the 2016 US presidential election and Donald Trump’s rise to power; the UK’s EU referendum of 2016, the Scottish independence referendum of 2014 and the ‘snap’ UK general election of June 2017; the growing role in political communication of the internet and social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, and their destabilising impact on the management of political crises all over the world including the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines MH17 and the disappearance of MH370, the Tianjin disaster in China and the Russian intervention in Ukraine; Islamic State’s global jihad, and the use of social media as an instrument of terror; the growing capacity of WikiLeaks and other online sources, such as the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, to challenge elite control of information.

Online platforms have widened the availability for citizen engagement and opportunities for politicians to interact with their constituents. The increasing use of these technologies has transformed methods of governmental communication in online and offline environments. (R)evolutionizing Political Communications through Social Media offers crucial perspectives on the utilization of online social networks in political discourse and how these alterations have affected previous modes of correspondence. Highlighting key issues through theoretical foundations and pertinent case studies, this book is a pivotal reference source for researchers, professionals, upper-level students, and consultants interested in the influence of emerging technologies in the political arena.

This book seeks to provide readers with a cross-national perspective concerning the art of political communication in a field increasingly affected by globalization, fragmentation of political audiences, and the rise of professional communications experts - a field concerned not only with how leaders are chosen, but also with how they govern. Structured in two sections, Political Communication in a New Era examines both methods of gathering and disseminating information in a time of technological transformation, and developments in the uses of political communication across the globe. Contributors offer perspectives from Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Italy and the United States.

The politics-media-politics approach -- PMP and election campaigns -- PMP, violent conflicts, and peace processes -- PMP and historical changes -- PMP and comparative political communication -- Using the PMP approach to assess media performance in both democratic and autocratic regimes.

This book investigates how individual politicians and political parties strategically make use of the media to reach their political goals. Looking beyond a purely Americentric viewpoint, the chapters present data from more than ten Western democracies to argue that the media are both a source of information and an arena for political communication. This double functional role of the media is examined from both a theoretical and an empirical perspective, including chapters dealing with different aspects of politics - from campaigning to law making - and within different political contexts. The role of the news media is discussed from the perspective of the political actor, focusing on both the opportunities and the constraints the news media provide, resulting in a multidisciplinary text that will appeal to students and scholars of both communication and political science.

This book offers a wide-scale, interdisciplinary analysis and guide to social media and political communication, examining the political use of social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. From disinformation to artificial intelligence, Jeremy Lipschultz explores how social media tools are being deployed by "good" and "bad" political actors. The use of "fake news" or disinformation is clearly contextualized for readers within a wider understanding of the historic uses of propaganda, persuasion and political advertising. Lipschultz also examines how social media is used by activists and social movements to increase civic engagement and amplify social issues. The book surveys traditional media communication theories and methods, exploring newsgatekeeping, propaganda, persuasion and personal influence, and diffusion of new technologies and ideas, teaching vital critical thinking methods for consuming, engaging with, and understanding political social media content from a media literacy perspective. It also includes social network analyses which offer visual representations of social media crowds that influence social movements and political change. Essential reading for students of Media and Cultural Studies, Communication, Journalism, Political Science, and Information Technology, as well as anyone wishing to understand the current intersection of social media and politics.