2nd Edition

New Directions in Media and Politics

Edited By Travis N. Ridout Copyright 2019
    342 Pages 32 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    342 Pages 32 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    It would be difficult to find a more interesting topic than the relationship between the news media and politics, especially given that Americans are now living in the "Twitter presidency" of Donald Trump. Academic research in the area of media and politics is rapidly breaking new ground to keep pace with prolific media developments and societal changes. This innovative, up-to-date text moves beyond rudimentary concepts and definitions to consider exciting research as well as practical applications that address monumental changes in media systems in the US and the world. This carefully crafted volume explores key questions posed by academics and practitioners alike, exposing students to rigorous scholarship as well as everyday challenges confronted by politicians, journalists, and media consumers.

    Each chapter opens with a "big question" about the impact of the news media, provides an overview of the more general topic, and then answers that question by appealing to the best, most-up-to-date research in the field. The volume as a whole is held together by an exploration of the rapidly changing media environment and the influence these changes have on individual political behavior and governments as a whole.

    New Directions in Media and Politics makes an ideal anchor for courses as it digs deeper into the questions that standard textbooks only hint at—and presents scholarly evidence to support the arguments made.

    New to the Second Edition

    • Fully updated through the 2016 elections and the early Trump presidency with a special focus on the role of social media.
    • Adds three new chapters: The Move to Mobile; Media and Public Policy; and Fake News.
    • Adds Discussion Questions to the end of each chapter.

    1 Introduction Travis N. Ridout

    2 The American Media System Today: Is the Public Fragmenting? Natalie Jomini Stroud and Ashley Muddiman

    3 Political Dynamics of Framing S.R. Gubitz, Samara Klar, Joshua Robison and James N. Druckman

    4 Distrust of the News Media as a Symptom and a Further Cause of Partisan Polarization Jonathan M. Ladd and Alexander R. Podkul

    5 All Politics is Local?: Assessing the Role of Local Television News in a Polarized Era Erika Franklin Fowler

    6 News Media and War: Warmongers or Peacemakers? Piers Robinson

    7 Campaigns Go Social: Are Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter Changing Elections? Young Mie Kim, Richard James Heinrich, Soo Yun Kim, and Robyn Baragwanath

    8 The Move to Mobile: What’s the Impact on Citizen News Attention? Johanna Dunaway, Kathleen Searles, Mingxiao Sui, and Newly Paul

    9 Negative Campaigns: Are They Good for American Democracy? Yanna Krupnikov and Elizabeth C. Connors

    10 Targeting Campaign Messages: Good for Campaigns but Bad for America? Michael M. Franz

    11 Do the Media Give Women Candidates a Fair Shake? Regina G. Lawrence

    12 Congress and the Media: Who Has the Upper Hand? C. Danielle Vinson

    13 Reassessing the Power of Speech in a Crowded Media World: Conditional Modern Presidential Leadership of Public Opinion Brandon Rottinghaus

    14 Media and Public Policy: Does Media Coverage Depend on the Medium? Matt Guardino

    15 Fake News: What Is the Influence of Fabricated Stories and Efforts to Undermine Media Credibility? Travis N. Ridout and Erika Franklin Fowler

    16 Politics in the Digital Age: A Scary Prospect? Roderick P. Hart

    Biography

    Travis N. Ridout is Thomas S. Foley Distinguished Professor of Government and Public Policy in the School of Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs at Washington State University. He specializes in the study of political communication, with a focus on campaigns and political advertising. His most recent book is Political Advertising in the United States (2016). He also serves as co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project.

    Praise for the Second Edition

    The strengths of this book’s first edition were its ability to take contributions from top scholars in the field and make them accessible, and its focus on how changes in the media affect the ability of American democracy to function. The second edition builds on this solid foundation by adding topics that currently preoccupy my students, such as "fake news" and President Trump’s unique relationship with the media. There isn’t a better introduction to what political science has to say about the relationship between the media and politics out there.

    Keena Lipsitz, CUNY Queens College & The Graduate Center

    New Directions in Media and Politics takes a unique approach, tackling big questions effectively while stepping outside of artificial subfield boundaries in today’s quick-moving media environment. This method makes it easy for students to contribute to lively discussions and for instructors to teach with this birds-eye view of issues in the field.

    Henrik Schatzinger, Ripon College; Co-Director, Center for Politics and the People