Politics and the Mass Media in Britain

This fully-updated new edition of Politics and the Mass Media provides a comprehensive introduction to the role of mass communications in politics at all levels, from election campaigns, news reports and lobbying groups to the media activities of pressure groups. The relationship between politics, politicians and the media is a matter of increasingly contentious debate, as politicians' awareness of the importance of the media becomes more sophisticated amidst rapidly-advancing media technology and control. Providing a review of the nature and content of political communications and of recent theoretical developments, Negrine addresses the issues surrounding today's mass media, including cable and satellite television, investigation of the press, the relationship between the state and broadcasing institutions and the ever-present question of whether or not Britain needs a media policy. This new edition includes: * Case studies from television and the press * Fully revised text with updated sections on the press, broadcasting and media legislation * Brand new chapters on Europe and globalisation

Ralph Negrine is Lecturer at the Centre for Mass Communication Research, University of Leicester. He is the editor of Cable Television and the Future of Broadcasting and Satellite Broadcasting, and the co-author of The Internationalisation of Television and Images of Disability on Television.

1 Politics and the Mass Media 2 Theories of the Media 3 The British Press 4 The British Press: Ownership, Control, Advertising and Re-Structuring 5 Broadcasting in Britain 6 The Politics of Broadcasting: 'Liberty on Parole' 7 News and the Production of News 8 'M is for Media': The Politics of Media Pressure 9 Political Communication: The Mass Media and General Elections 10 The New Media: Cable Television, Satellite Broadcasting and the Future of British Broadcasting 11 Do We Need a National Media Policy - Postscript The Future of the the BBC