1st Edition
The Media and the Public Sphere A Deliberative Model of Democracy
Series Editors Foreword
1. Introduction
2. Democracy, Discourse and the Public Sphere: The Deliberative Approach
3. Methods and Measures of Deliberation
4. The Media and the Deliberative Quality of Public Spheres
5. Democratic Conflict and Deliberative Coalitions
6. Conclusion Appendix: Codebook
Biography
Thomas Häussler is a post-doctoral researcher and lecturer at the Institute of Communication and Media Studies, University of Bern. His research interests include political communication; online mobilisation and campaigning of civil society actors; social (online) network analysis; (Swiss) media history; and social and political philosophy – in particular, theoretical models of and empirical research on deliberative democracy. He teaches courses at bachelor’s and master’s levels on different aspects of political communication.
'In the deliberative model of democracy, a free press is of crucial importance for linking the public sphere and political decision making. Häussler shows in a sophisticated way the potential and the pitfalls for the media to fulfil this role. The philosophical background of the deliberative model is linked in a successful way with complex empirical analyses. The book is highly relevant for journalism, communication, and political science.'- Jürg Steiner, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
'This very substantial and well researched book is an exceptionally valuable contribution to the growing body of empirical literature on deliberative democracy. It should find a wide readership in politics and media studies.' - William Outhwaite, FAcSS, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Newcastle University
'This important rethinking of the mediated public sphere shows that the range of actors and the qualities of their deliberation differ depending on whether we look at the sphere of civil society or the sphere of government-centered media discourses. Each sphere displays its own strengths and weaknesses, suggesting both the imperfections and the promises of democratic communication processes.' - Lance Bennett, Professor of Political Science and Communication, University of Washington
