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Political Polling in the Digital Age: The Challenge of Measuring and Understanding Public Opinion (Media & Public Affairs)
by Susan Herbst Mark Blumenthal Kirby Goidel Charlie Cook Scott Keeter Anna Greenberg Charles FranklinThe 2008 presidential election provided a "perfect storm" for pollsters. A significant portion of the population had exchanged their landlines for cellphones, which made them harder to survey. Additionally, a potential Bradley effect -- in which white voters misrepresent their intentions of voting for or against a black candidate -- skewed predictions, and aggressive voter registration and mobilization campaigns by Barack Obama combined to challenge conventional understandings about how to measure and report public preferences. In the wake of these significant changes, Political Polling in the Digital Age, edited by Kirby Goidel, offers timely and insightful interpretations of the impact these trends will have on polling.In this groundbreaking collection, contributors place recent developments in public-opinion polling into a broader historical context, examine how to construct accurate meanings from public-opinion surveys, and analyze the future of public-opinion polling. Notable contributors include Mark Blumenthal, editor and publisher of Pollster.com; Anna Greenberg, a leading Democratic pollster; and Scott Keeter, director of survey research for the Pew Research Center.In an era of increasingly personalized and interactive communications, accurate political polling is more difficult and also more important. Political Polling in the Digital Age presents fresh perspectives and relevant tactics that demystify the variable world of opinion taking.
Political Prisoner: Persecuted, Prosecuted, but Not Silenced
by Paul ManafortNEW BOOK CLAIMS DONALD TRUMP WILL RUN AND WIN IN 2024!A riveting account of the HOAX that sent a presidential campaign chairman to solitary confinement because he wouldn&’t turn against the President of the United States. The chief weapon deployed by the government-corporate-media Establishment against the Trump presidency was propaganda. Time and again, allegations from anonymous sources were disseminated by a partisan media, promoted by a dishonest Democrat Party leadership, and ultimately debunked when the facts surfaced. But by the time the truth came out, it was too late. There had already been casualties. One of the highest profile casualties was Paul Manafort. Desperate to defeat Donald Trump—or hamper his presidency after he won—Democrats and their Establishment allies colluded with foreign operatives to concoct a completely false narrative about Paul&’s supposed conspiracy with pro-Russian elements in Ukraine to further Vladimir Putin&’s efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election. But it wasn&’t just defamation of Paul&’s character. They took the unprecedented step of enlisting the US intelligence and law enforcement communities in using their power against President Trump and his campaign team. Political Prisoner finally exposes the lies left unchallenged by media who pronounced Paul guilty long before his case ever saw the inside of a courtroom. Not only is it untrue that Victor Yanukovych or any of Paul&’s clients were &“pro-Putin,&” it is the opposite of the truth. Paul&’s work in Ukraine and throughout his career was 100 percent aligned with US interests in the countries he worked in, sometimes even acting as a back channel for the White House itself. Neither was Paul guilty of laundering money, evading taxes, or deliberately deceiving the US government by failing to register as a foreign agent—which he wasn&’t. These were all politically motivated charges manufactured by the Special Counsel&’s team for one reason and one reason only: to get Paul to testify against Donald Trump about a conspiracy that never existed. When they hear the basis of these spurious charges, Americans will wonder what country they are living in and what has happened to our system of justice. Political Prisoner tells the real story of Paul&’s life and career, exploding the lies about his work in Ukraine, his previous work with foreign governments and business interests in other countries, his involvement with the Trump campaign, and the &“process crimes&” for which he was wrongly convicted and sent to prison. It is no exaggeration to say that everything most Americans think they know about Paul Manafort is false.
Political Public Relations: Concepts, Principles, and Applications (Routledge Communication Series)
by Jesper Stromback Spiro KiousisThe second edition of Political Public Relations offers an interdisciplinary overview of the latest theory and research in the still emerging field of political public relations. The book continues its international orientation in order to fully contextualize the field amidst the various political and communication systems today. Existing chapters have been updated and new chapters added to reflect evolving trends such as the rise of digital and social media, increasing political polarization, and the growth of political populism. As a singular contribution to scholarship in public relations and political communication, this volume serves as an important catalyst for future theory and research. This volume is ideal for researchers and courses at the intersection of public relations, political communication, and political science.
Political Reputation Management: The Strategy Myth (Routledge New Directions in PR & Communication Research)
by Christian SchneeIt is widely assumed that a competitive political environment of public distrust and critical media forces political parties to manage communications and reputations strategically, but is this really true? Comprehensive control of communications in a fast-moving political and media setting isoften upset by events outside the communicator’s control, taking over the news agenda andchanging the political narrative. Based on interviews with leading communicators and journalists, this book explores the tensions between a planned, strategic communications approach and a reactive, tactical one. The interviewees, who over the past 15 years have been instrumental in presenting and shaping the public persona of party leaders and Prime Ministers, include, amongst others, William Hague, Ian Duncan-Smith, Michael Howard, David Cameron, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.It draws a unique picture of how political reputations are managed and, ultimately, confirms the discrepancy between what political communications management is thought to be, and how communications practitioners actually operate. This book empirically reviews political communications practice in order to analyse to what degree reality matches the concepts of strategic communications management. This will be essential reading for researchers, educators and advanced students in public relations, communications studies and marketing.
Politicians, Personal Image and the Construction of Political Identity: A Comparative Study of the UK and Italy
by Cristina ArchettiIs the media obsession with image leading to a degeneration of politics? Are politicians more concerned with their appearances than with policy substance? Through the evidence provided by over 50 interviews with politicians across the UK and Italy - local councillors, MPs and MEPs - this book provides a very different picture of the world of politics than the one we often cynically imagine. By relying on extensive excerpts from frank and colorful conversations with the interviewees, the analysis develops a new multidisciplinary model to understand the 'mediatization' of politics and the way the personal image of elected representatives is constructed in the age of interconnectedness.
Politics and the Mediatization of School Educational Policy: The Dog-Whistle Dynamic
by Grant RodwellDespite increasing prevalence over the past three decades and a clear impact on school education policy and practice, education’s connection to dog-whistle journalism and politics has not yet been fully explored. Addressing this gap, Politics and the Mediatization of School Educational Policy examines the emergence and current impact of dog-whistle politics and journalism on education in Australia, the US and the UK, questioning what is at stake when this political dog whistle is directed at school educational policy and practice. Exploring common targets for dog-whistling, such as teaching standards, teacher quality and specific curriculum areas, such as history, sex and health education, the book considers the broader social issues of xenophobia and racism, as well as the decline of print media and rise of digital news sources in its place, with each chapter including an in-depth discussion using peer-reviewed literature on the subject. Following the trail of dog whistles impacting in school educational policy and practice across these three countries, this book explores: To what extent is the dog-whistle dynamic embedded in school educational policy and practice? To what extent does the dog-whistle dynamic affect our understanding of school educational policy and practice? How might we explain the continued flurry of dog whistles impacting school educational policy and practice? As the phenomenon of the dog whistle intensifies both nationally and internationally, this timely and thought-provoking book is necessary reading for academics, postgraduate researchers and all members of school communities.
Politics and the Press in Indonesia: Understanding an Evolving Political Culture
by Angela RomanoThis book explores the evolving political culture in Indonesia, by discussing the country's dominant political philosophies, then showing how those philosophies affect the working lives of ordinary Indonesian citizens. It focuses in particular on the working lives of news journalists, a group that occupies a strategic social and political position.
Politics for the Love of Fandom: Fan-Based Citizenship in a Digital World
by Ashley HinckPolitics for the Love of Fandom examines what Ashley Hinck calls “fan-based citizenship”: civic action that blends with and arises from participation in fandom and commitment to a fan-object. Examining cases like Harry Potter fans fighting for fair trade, YouTube fans donating money to charity, and football fans volunteering to mentor local youth, Hinck argues that fan-based citizenship has created new civic practices wherein popular culture may play as large a role in generating social action as traditional political institutions such as the Democratic Party or the Catholic Church. In an increasingly digital world, individuals can easily move among many institutions and groups. They can choose from more people and organizations than ever to inspire their civic actions—even the fandom for children's book series Harry Potter can become a foundation for involvement in political life and social activism. Hinck explores this new kind of engagement and its implications for politics and citizenships, through case studies that encompass fandoms for sports, YouTube channels, movies, and even toys. She considers the ways in which fan-based social engagement arises organically, from fan communities seeking to change their world as a group, as well as the methods creators use to leverage their fans to take social action. The modern shift to networked, fluid communities, Hinck argues, opens up opportunities for public participation that occurs outside of political parties, houses of worship, and organizations for social action. Fan-based citizenship performances help us understand the future possibilities of public engagement, as fans and creators alike tie the ethical frameworks of fan-objects to desired social goal, such as volunteering for political candidates, mentoring at-risk youth, and promoting environmentally friendly policy. Politics for the Love of Fandom examines the communication at the center of these civic actions, exploring how fans, nonprofits, and media companies manage to connect internet-based fandom with public issues.
Politics without Stories
by David RicciLiberal candidates, scholars, and activists mainly promote pragmatism rather than large and powerful narratives - which may be called 'alpha stories' for their commanding presence over time. Alternatively, conservative counterparts to such liberals tend to promote their policy preferences in alpha stories praising effective markets, excellent traditions, and limited government. In this face-off, liberals represent a post-Enlightenment world where many modern people, following Max Weber, are 'disenchanted', while many conservatives, echoing Edmund Burke, cherish stories borrowed from the past. Politics without Stories describes this storytelling gap as an electoral disadvantage for liberals because their campaigning lacks, and will continue to lack, the inspiration and shared commitments that great, long-term stories can provide. Therefore, Ricci argues that, for tactical purposes, liberals should concede their post-Enlightenment skepticism and rally around short-term stories designed to frame, in political campaigns, immediate situations which they regard as intolerable. These may help liberals win elections and influence the course of modern life.
Politics, Journalism, and The Way Things Were: My Life at The Times, The Hill, and Politico (Media and Power)
by Martin TolchinIn this book, Martin Tolchin describes his journey from New York Times copy boy to White House correspondent, and as founder of The Hill and co-founder of Politico. He tells of the talented and eccentric colleagues he encountered en route, and the conflicts and tensions that beset him during his 40-year news career. Along the way, he tracks the evolution of political journalism from mostly all-male, smoke-filled newsrooms to the high-tech world of the 24/7 news cycle. As a local reporter in New York City, Tolchin saw his articles change public policy and re-direct millions of dollars in public funds. Nationally, Tolchin reported on some of the country’s most important political leaders, including Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, and Tip O’Neill, among many others. As a Washington correspondent he was involved in Iran Contra, the Anita Hill hearings on the nomination of Justice Clarence Thomas, and Washington’s response to the New York City financial crisis. Mr. Tolchin writes with extraordinary candor and optimism. His story is one that will inform and inspire students, scholars, and general readers in an era in which fake news has sometimes overtaken legitimate reporting. He believes in the power of a free press to guard and guide free people.
Politics, Lies and Conspiracy Theories: A Cognitive Linguistic Perspective
by Marcel DanesiPolitics, Lies and Conspiracy Theories: A Cognitive Linguistic Perspective shows how language influences mechanisms of cognition, perception, and belief, and by extension its power to manipulate thoughts and beliefs. This exciting and original work is the first to apply cognitive linguistics to the analysis of political lies and conspiracy theories, both of which have flourished in the internet age and which many argue are threatening democracy. It unravels the verbal mechanisms that make these "different truths" so effective and proliferative, dissecting the verbal structures (metaphor, irony, connotative implications, etc.) of a variety of real-life cases concerning politicians, conspiracy theorists, and influencers. Marcel Danesi goes on to demonstrate how these linguistic structures "switch on" or "switch off" alternative mind worlds. This book is essential reading for students of cognitive linguistics and will enrich the studies of any student or researcher in language and linguistics more broadly, as well as discourse analysis, rhetoric, or political science.
Politics, Media and Democracy in Australia: Public and Producer Perceptions of the Political Public Sphere (Routledge Research in Cultural and Media Studies)
by Terry Flew Adam Swift Stephen Harrington Brian McNairIn Australia, as in many comparable democracies, the role of the media in the political process is high on the public agenda. There is a perception of widespread disillusionment with and disengagement from politics amongst voters, and criticism of the media for failing to fulfil their democratic responsibilities adequately. This book evaluates public perceptions of the performance of the political media in the context of the declared aims and objectives of media producers. From there the authors present findings for improving the capacity of political media to engage and inform their audiences in ways which enhance the quality and popular legitimacy of the democratic process. These conclusions are of import not only to Australians, but to observers of mediated politics in the UK, the US and other countries where similar debates around the ‘crisis of public communication’ are on-going.
Politik - PR - Persuasion
by Romy Fröhlich Thomas KochEin Thema steht auch in wahlkampffreien Phasen immer wieder gerne im Fokus der Medien: Das Verhältnis zwischen Politik und Public Relations. Die Bandbreite reicht von kritischen Berichten über vermeintlich unethische bis illegale Verquickungen zwischen beiden, über die Kritik an der Tatsache, dass die Politik öffentliche Gelder für Kommunikationsdienstleister ausgibt oder über den Einfluss kollektiver und individueller Interessensvertreter auf politische Entscheidungsprozesse (z. B. Stuttgart 21) bis hin zur zuweilen stark skandalisierenden Berichterstattung über Aufträge an PR-Agenturen, bestimmte Spitzenpolitiker wirksam zu inszenieren. Der massenmedialen Aufmerksamkeit im Umgang mit diesem Thema steht die Tatsache gegenüber, dass die wissenschaftliche Auseinandersetzung damit im deutschsprachigen Raum noch eher ein stiefmütterliches Dasein fristet. Mit diesen Beiträgen werden die übergreifende Bandbreite und die Foci relevanter nationaler und internationaler Forschung und Literatur zum Thema gebündelt und zugänglich gemacht (,,mapping"). So kann das Buch für Wissenschaftler aber auch für Studierende, die sich mit dem Thema "Politik und Public Relations" beschäftigen, zu einer Art "key point of reference" für aktuellste und bisherige Forschung zum Thema werden
Politik und Film: Ein Überblick (essentials)
by Ulrich HamenstädtDieses Essential bietet einen Überblick zu unterschiedlichen Interpretationen der Verbindung zwischen Politik und Film. Filme und Fernsehserien werden dabei als wichtige Darstellungsformen von Politik begriffen. In zahlreichen Formaten wird dies in den letzten Jahren deutlich. Interessant wird es jedoch, wenn Filme und Serien nicht den Anspruch erheben politisch zu sein, dies jedoch implizit sind. Denn Filme spielen zum einen immer mit Vorannahmen des Publikums, produzieren andererseits aber auch spezifische politische Annahmen und Weltanschauungen bei ihrem Publikum. So sind beispielsweise Ängste oder gesellschaftlich verbreitete Feindbilder für die Wirkung von Filmen bedeutungsvoll. James Bond bekommt heute keine Liebesgrüße mehr aus Moskau, dafür rücken Cyberangriffe und die zunehmende Macht Chinas in den Mittelpunkt der Filmreihe.
Politische Kommunikation in der Mediengesellschaft: Eine Einführung (Studienbücher zur Kommunikations- und Medienwissenschaft)
by Patrick Donges Otfried JarrenPolitische Kommunikation in der Mediengesellschaft ist ein komplexer und vielschichtiger Forschungsgegenstand. Das Lehrbuch legt den Schwerpunkt auf die Strukturen, Akteure und Prozesse politischer Kommunikation und analysiert diese aus einer kommunikationswissenschaftlichen Perspektive unter Berücksichtigung der Theorie- und Forschungsbestände anderer Sozialwissenschaften. Politische Medieninhalte werden als das Ergebnis von Interaktionsprozessen verstanden, die im Rahmen von Strukturen der Politik wie der Medien zwischen politischen und medialen Akteuren stattfinden. Dabei wird der Mesoebene der Organisationen wie der Makroebene der Gesellschaft besondere Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt, da politische Kommunikation in erster Linie eine organisierte Form der Kommunikation ist – sowohl auf Seiten der Politik wie auch auf Seiten der Medien. Gegenüber der zweiten Auflage wurde das Lehrbuch grundlegend aktualisiert, gestrafft und neu strukturiert.
Politisierung des Theaters und Theatralisierung der Politik im Nationalsozialismus: Müthels „Hamlet“-Inszenierung und Riefenstahls „Triumph des Willens“ (Szene & Horizont. Theaterwissenschaftliche Studien #13)
by Silke Christiane KleineVorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit den Fragen nach der Politisierung der Bühne während des „Dritten Reiches“ und der Nutzbarmachung theatraler Operativität für die politische nationalsozialistische Massenversammlung anhand der Analysen einer massenwirksamen Hamlet-Inszenierung (Lothar Müthel, Berlin 1936) und von Leni Riefenstahls filmischer Dokumentation des „Reichsparteitags der Einheit und Stärke“ 1934 („Triumph des Willens“). Während sich das Medium der Theaterbühne als nicht sonderlich fruchtbar für propagandistische Zwecke erwiesen hatte, ereignete sich das „eigentliche“ Theater des „Dritten Reiches“ auf den Plätzen und in den Arenen des politischen Massenauftritts. Es geschah also ein Transfer theatraler Mittel und Operativität hin zu öffentlichen Massenveranstaltungen des Regimes. Theatrale, dramaturgische Elemente der Theaterbühne erwiesen sich in Kombination mit massenpsychologischen Grundmechanismen als besonders tragfähig, sodass man sagen kann, dass es sich bei NS-tendenziösen Theaterinszenierungen um Präfigurationen des politischen Massenauftritts handelte. Dies wird anhand öffentlicher Veranstaltungen im Nationalsozialismus erörtert; diese werden im Hinblick auf theatrale Kategorien wie der Ausgestaltung/Architektur des Raumes, Auditivität (Stimme und Rede, die Rolle der Lautsprechertechnologie), Licht/Beleuchtung und Requisiten analysiert. Neben diesen Aspekten der Theaterregie kamen (hier: pseudo-) religiöse Aspekte der Kirchenregie zum Tragen. Leni Riefenstahls filmische Dokumentation „Triumph des Willens“ zeigt eindrücklich die Kulmination der bis dato in vielen Auftritten erprobten massenpsychologischen Dramaturgie im Großereignis von Nürnberg. Zudem entgrenzt Riefenstahl das Ereignis durch die Reproduzierbarkeit des Mediums „Film“. Einerseits stellt der Film den Initiationsprozess für die jungen Nationalsozialisten auf dem „Reichsparteitag“ in Nürnberg dar, andererseits war die „Lektüre“ des Films gleichsam ein Initiationsprozess für den Zuschauer; das filmische Zeugnis Leni Riefenstahls konnte so die Präsenzteilnahme am „Reichsparteitag der Einheit und Stärke“ ersetzen.
Polynomial Theory of Error Correcting Codes
by Giovanni CancellieriThe book offers an original view on channel coding, based on a unitary approach to block and convolutional codes for error correction. It presents both new concepts and new families of codes. For example, lengthened and modified lengthened cyclic codes are introduced as a bridge towards time-invariant convolutional codes and their extension to time-varying versions. The novel families of codes include turbo codes and low-density parity check (LDPC) codes, the features of which are justified from the structural properties of the component codes. Design procedures for regular LDPC codes are proposed, supported by the presented theory. Quasi-cyclic LDPC codes, in block or convolutional form, represent one of the most original contributions of the book. The use of more than 100 examples allows the reader gradually to gain an understanding of the theory, and the provision of a list of more than 150 definitions, indexed at the end of the book, permits rapid location of sought information.
Política A La Italiana: sin parmesano, por favor
by Luca ZenobiLa astucia y las competencias comunicativas seguramente ayudan a encontrar el camino más corto para llegar al corazón del elector. La verdad es que este tesoro a menudo no se comprende, intercambiando la política por la comunicación política. Así, nos encontramos personajes faltos de contenidos serios, incluso a menudo desinteresados en los contenidos serios, pero muy hábiles en la persuasión de masas. No importa lo que sea verdad, o lo que no sea verdad, lo que cuenta es lo que el personaje consiga emocionar al público. La buena noticia es que el pueblo italiano es creativo y después de Berlusconi, Grillo y Renzi, ya inventará algo nuevo sin lugar a dudas.
Poor Reception: Misunderstanding and Forgetting Broadcast News (Routledge Communication Series)
by Barrie GunterPublished in 1990, Poor Reception is a valuable contribution to the field of Communication Studies.
Pop Music Made in Småland: Music Production and Entrepreneurship in Sweden (Pop Music, Culture and Identity)
by Martin KnustUsing interviews with and academic studies of the careers of internationally-famous music producers and music industry professionals from Småland, Sweden, this open access book studies the history and present state of pop music production and entrepreneurship. An exceptionally high number of established and emerging pop artists and producers from this region of Sweden have had significant success on the international stage. This book describes how the situation for music producers and artists from Småland has changed during the past 50 years or so, starting in the 1970s with the so-called ‘Swedish music wonder’ and ending with the situation contemporary artists and entrepreneurs are facing. The field has changed massively both in terms of technology (from analogue to digital), social production (from individual productions to collective projects), distribution and marketing (from selling concert tickets and LPs to creating “prosuming” fanbases and multipronged careers considering genres, venues and activities). This book will be of interest to students of and professionals in music production; music, economy and media scholars; readers active in creative industries; and fans of (Swedish) pop music.
Popular Culture and Social Change: The Hidden Work of Public Relations (Routledge New Directions In Public Relations & Communication Ser.)
by Judy Motion Kate FitchPopular Culture and Social Change: The Hidden Work of Public Relations argues the complicated and contradictory relationship between public relations, popular culture and social change is a neglected theoretical project. Its diverse chapters identify ways in which public relations influences the production of popular culture and how alternative, often community-driven conceptualisations of public relations work can be harnessed for social change and in pursuit of social justice. This book opens up critical scholarship on public relations in that it moves beyond corporate understandings and perspectives to explore alternative and eclectic communicative cultures, in part to consider a more optimistic conceptualisation of public relations as a resource for progressive social change. Fitch and Motion began with an interest in identifying the ways in which public relations both draws on and influences the production of popular culture by creating, promoting and amplifying particular narratives and images. The chapters in this book consider how public relations creates popular cultures that are deeply compromised and commercialised, but at the same time can be harnessed to advocate for social change in supporting, reproducing, challenging or resisting the status quo. Drawing on critical and sociocultural perspectives, this book is an important resource for researchers, educators and students exploring public relations theory, strategic communication and promotional culture. It investigates the entanglement of public relations, popular culture and social change in different social, cultural and political contexts – from fashion and fortune telling to race activism and aesthetic labour – in order to better understand the (often subterranean) societal influence of public relations activity.
Popular Journalism in Contemporary China: Politics, Market, Culture and Technology (East Asian Popular Culture)
by Chengju HuangThis book, the first of its kind, investigates the historical trajectory and current situation of popular journalism in the People's Republic of China. Taking a popular cultural perspective, the book redefines “popular journalism” as a particular journalistic genre and media form and applies it to conceptualize popular journalism in the Chinese context. In particular, it examines how the dynamic and complex interplay of politics, the market, culture, and communication technology in shifting contexts has shaped the changing landscape of popular journalism in contemporary China. Meanwhile, regardless of how these factors might have changed over time, the fundamental nature of popular journalism as a source of fun and a troublemaker against elite powers in China, as in other places, has remained. The book further argues that the historical development of popular journalism in China forms an important and integral part of the country's social-cultural fabric and ultimately illustrates the mediated ideological and cultural struggle between popular/public and elite/state discourses in the country’s everyday social life in its challenging and discursive transition to modernity.
Popular Media and the American Revolution: Shaping Collective Memory
by Janice HumeThe American Revolution—an event that gave America its first real "story" as an independent nation, distinct from native and colonial origins—continues to live on in the public's memory, celebrated each year on July 4 with fireworks and other patriotic displays. But to identify as an American is to connect to a larger national narrative, one that begins in revolution. In Popular Media and the American Revolution, journalism historian Janice Hume examines the ways that generations of Americans have remembered and embraced the Revolution through magazines, newspapers, and digital media. Overall, Popular Media and the American Revolution demonstrates how the story and characters of the Revolution have been adjusted, adapted, and co-opted by popular media over the years, fostering a cultural identity whose founding narrative was sculpted, ultimately, in revolution. Examining press and popular media coverage of the war, wartime anniversaries, and the Founding Fathers (particularly, "uber-American hero" George Washington), Hume provides insights into the way that journalism can and has shaped a culture's evolving, collective memory of its past. Dr. Janice Hume is a professor and head of the Department of Journalism in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. She is author of Obituaries in American Culture (University Press of Mississippi, 2000) and co-author of Journalism in a Culture of Grief (Routledge, 2008).
Popular Media, Democracy and Development in Africa (Internationalizing Media Studies)
by Herman WassermanPopular Media, Democracy and Development in Africa examines the role that popular media could play to encourage political debate, provide information for development, or critique the very definitions of ‘democracy’ and ‘development’. Drawing on diverse case studies from various regions of the African continent, essays employ a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to ask critical questions about the potential of popular media to contribute to democratic culture, provide sites of resistance, or, conversely, act as agents for the spread of Americanized entertainment culture to the detriment of local traditions. A wide variety of media formats and platforms are discussed, ranging from radio and television to the Internet, mobile phones, street posters, film and music. As part of the Routledge series Internationalizing Media Studies, the book responds to the important challenge of broadening perspectives on media studies by bringing together a range of expert analyses of media in the African continent that will be of interest to students and scholars of media in Africa and further afield.
Popular Music in a Digital Music Economy: Problems and Practices for an Emerging Service Industry (Routledge Research in Music)
by Tim J. AndersonIn the late 1990s, the MP3 became the de facto standard for digital audio files and the networked computer began to claim a significant place in the lives of more and more listeners. The dovetailing of these two circumstances is the basis of a new mode of musical production and distribution where new practices emerge. This book is not a definitive statement about what the new music industry is. Rather, it is devoted to what this new industry is becoming by examining these practices as experiments, dedicated to negotiating what is replacing an "object based" industry oriented around the production and exchange of physical recordings. In this new economy, constant attention is paid to the production and licensing of intellectual property and the rise of the "social musician" who has been encouraged to become more entrepreneurial. Finally, every element of the industry now must consider a new type of audience, the "end user", and their productive and distributive capacities around which services and musicians must orient their practices and investments.