Communication and citizenship : journalism and the public sphere in the new media age

This book addresses a question which is central to academic and journalistic debate - to what extent are the media in modern societies able to help citizens learn about the world, debate their responses to it and reach informed decisions about what courses of action to adopt? Can the media play a role in the formation of public opinion at a time when public service broadcasting is under attack and the popular press panders to market forces with an output of celebrity gossip and sensationalized reporting? Each contributor to this collection of essays concentrates on one aspect of the role and future of public opinion in the United States and Europe. Topics under discussion include American politics and television news, feminist perspectives on the public sphere, the Polish media after Stalinism and the popular press and television in the United Kingdom. This book is intended to be of interest to advanced students in communication and media studies.