Political Communication in Postmodern Democracy : Challenging the Primacy of Politics

This Edited Collection Examines The Changing Faces Of Political Communication In Contemporary Democracy. Based On Comparative Investigations Of Recent Trends In The Netherlands And Great Britain, The Essays Provide Fresh Insights And New Empirical Evidence Into The Public Representation Of Media-centred Politics. 1. Introduction: Mediatization And De-centralization Of Political Communication -- Part I. New Approaches To Political Communication. 2. Audience Democracy: An Emerging Pattern In Postmodern Political Communication -- 3. Representation And Mediated Politics: Representing Representation In An Age Of Irony -- Part Ii. Mediatization: The Changing Power Game Between Politics And The Media. 4. Mediatization And News Management In Comparative Iinstitutional Perspective -- 5. Spin And Political Publicity: Effects On News Coverage And Public Opinion -- 6. Changes In Political News Coverage: Personalization, Conflict And Negativity In British And Dutch Newspapers -- 7. A Changing Culture Of Political Television Journalism -- 8, A Question Of Control: Journalists And Politicians In Political Broadcast Interviews -- 9. The Elephant Trap: Politicians Performing In Television Comedy -- Part Iii. De-centralization: New Forms Of Citizenship And Political Communication. 10. Political Consumerism As Political Participation? -- 11. The New Frontiers Of Journalism: Citizen Participation In The United Kingdom And The Netherlands --12. The New Cultural Cleavage: Immigration And The Challenge To Dutch Politics And Media -- 13. The Mediation Of Political Disconnection -- 14. 'voting Is Easy, Just Press The Red Button': Communicating Politics In The Age Of Big Brother -- 15. What's Reality Television Got To Do With It? Talking Politics In The Net-based Public Sphere. Edited By Kees Brants And Katrin Voltmer. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Introduction: Mediatization and De-centralization of Political Communication....Pages 1-16 Front Matter....Pages 17-17 Audience Democracy: An Emerging Pattern in Postmodern Political Communication....Pages 19-38 Representation and Mediated Politics: Representing Representation in an Age of Irony....Pages 39-56 Front Matter....Pages 57-57 Mediatization and News Management in Comparative Institutional Perspective....Pages 59-74 Spin and Political Publicity: Effects on News Coverage and Public Opinion....Pages 75-91 Changes in Political News Coverage: Personalization, Conflict and Negativity in British and Dutch Newspapers....Pages 92-110 A Changing Culture of Political Television Journalism....Pages 111-125 A Question of Control: Journalists and Politicians in Political Broadcast Interviews....Pages 126-145 The Elephant Trap: Politicians Performing in Television Comedy....Pages 146-163 Front Matter....Pages 165-165 Political Consumerism as Political Participation?....Pages 167-182 The New Frontiers of Journalism: Citizen Participation in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands....Pages 183-199 The New Cultural Cleavage: Immigration and the Challenge to Dutch Politics and Media....Pages 200-214 The Mediation of Political Disconnection....Pages 215-230 ‘Voting is easy, just press the red button’: Communicating Politics in the Age of Big Brother....Pages 231-247 What’s Reality Television Got to Do with it? Talking Politics in the Net-Based Public Sphere....Pages 248-264 Afterword....Pages 265-272 Back Matter....Pages 273-284 This edited collection examines the changing faces of political communication in contemporary democracy. Based on comparative investigations of recent trends in the Netherlands and Great Britain, the essays provide fresh insights and new empirical evidence into the public representation of media-centred politics. This book explores the changing relationship between politics, the media and citizens. Based on comparative evidence from the UK and the Netherlands it provides new insights into the dynamics of political communication in post-modern democracy, which is characterized by uncertainty about the location of politics and an erosion of grand narratives and political ideologies. The contributions of this volume aim to understand these changes as a two-dimensional process: the horizontal dimension encompasses the shifting power balance between politicians and the media. The vertical dimension explores how new forms of citizenship and the pervasiveness of popular culture alongside new communication technologies are challenging the authority of both established journalism and institutionalized politics. What emerges is a complex picture of politicization and de-politicization, elite dominance and the power of vox populi, mediatisation and effective control of political elites over the public agenda "A timely collection of essays by some of the most authoritative researchers and scholars in the field of political communication. The essays combine rigorous research on everything from advertising to reality TV, game shows and social networking with lively and accessible writing, and will be essential reading for students of political communication all over the world."--Brian McNair, Professor of Journalism & Communication, University of Strathclyde, UK