The Politics of Misinformation (Communication, Society and Politics)

The Politics of Misinformation is an examination of how concentrations of social and economic power result in public languages of politics that are necessarily image-based, vague, and misleading in their denial of undemocratic tendencies. As a result, public discourses of democracy tend to be populistic, emotional, and likely to emphasize images of progress rather than structural inequalities in their formulations of public problems. Similarly, discourses of policy solutions to public problems emphasize assumptions about rationality in policy processes that are equally poor descriptions of most political outcomes. In short, neither typical problem definitions nor solutions invite critical popular understanding or involvement in democratic politics "The Politics of Misinformation is a critical examination of how and why the public has confidence in political progress and innovation even though most change is superficial. Concentrations of social and economic power produce illusions that create the impression of beneficial social change while erasing the possibility of such change. Language, bureaucratic authority, law, political parties, science, and other social institutions help to produce images that mislead both non-elite and elite, creating the appearance of rational democracy while at the same time obscuring structural inequality, discouraging critical evaluation of political policy, and thwarting involvement in democratic politics."--Jacket This book is about how people in power use language to generate and perpetuate misunderstandings. Edelman explores the ways in which social institutions such as language, authority, courts, science, and the media generate erroneous understandings of political realities in ways that protect the power and interests of the elite. Images dominate our language, writing, and thinking and are therefore a key influence on the occurrence and frequency of mistakes.

this Book Is About How People In Power Use Language To Generate And Perpetuate Misunderstandings.