This ground-breaking collection takes a determinedly critical perspective, drawing upon the observations of an international cohort of leading scholars who bring an 'activist' slant to the subject. The use of 'framing' theory, representation and the critical discourse tradition feature prominently in the Introduction, underpinned by more specific methods apposite for interpreting texts, narratives and actions (i.e. critical discourse analysis, online ethnographic enquiry, multimodal approaches, surveys, etc.). The first in-depth academic analysis of mediated responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, this collection is both a considered intervention in its own right, and a reference-point for future research.

This ground-breaking collection takes a determinedly critical perspective, drawing upon the observations of an international cohort of leading scholars who bring an 'activist' slant to the subject. The use of 'framing' theory, representation and the critical discourse tradition feature prominently in the Introduction, underpinned by more specific methods apposite for interpreting texts, narratives and actions (i.e. critical discourse analysis, online ethnographic enquiry, multimodal approaches, surveys, etc.). The first in-depth academic analysis of mediated responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, this collection is both a considered intervention in its own right, and a reference-point for future research.

Journalism, Power and Investigation presents a contemporary, trans-national analysis of investigative journalism. Beginning with a detailed introduction that examines the relationship between this form of public communication and normative conceptions of democracy, the book offers a selection of spirited contributions to current debates concerning the place, function, and political impact of investigative work. The 14 chapters, produced by practising journalists, academics, and activists, cover a range of topics, with examples drawn from the global struggle to produce reliable, in-depth accounts of public events. The collection brings together a range of significant investigations from across the world. These include an assignment conducted in the dangerous sectarian environment of Iraq, close engagement with Spain's Memory Movement, and an account of the work of radical charity Global Witness. Other chapters examine the relationship between journalists and state/corporate power, the troubled political legacy of WikiLeaks, the legal constraints on investigative journalism in the UK, and the bold international agenda of the investigative collective The Ferret. This material is accompanied by other analytical pieces on events in Bermuda, Brazil, and Egypt. Investigative journalism is a form of reportage that has long provided a benchmark for in-depth, critical interventions. Using numerous case studies, Journalism, Power and Investigation gives students and researchers an insight into the principles and methods that animate this global search for truth and justice.

'Discourse Power Address' identifies the existence of 'directive' address, a form of strategic communication which is employed in a number of dominant practices, including Advertising, Politics, Public Relations and Corporate representation. Stuart Price argues that the simulation of intimacy in authoritarian address masks a drive to power, in which the creation of propositions by powerful social actors is based on the 'timeliness' of utterance rather than any real adherence to truth or genuine explanation. Election broadcasts, political speeches, TV commercials and corporate advertisements are all scrutinised in order to evaluate competing perspectives on the creation and circulation of meaning; particular reference is made to theories of discourse, ideology and address. In the course of his argument, the author proposes an original method for determining how authoritarian address attempts to make an impact on audiences. Providing a cross-disciplinary contribution to the fields of Communication, Language, Media and Political Studies, this book provides an original, clear-sighted contribution to the debate on language and power, and will provide an essential resource for lecturers, researchers, students, activists and policy-makers.

'Discourse Power Address' identifies the existence of 'directive' address, a form of strategic communication which is employed in a number of dominant practices, including Advertising, Politics, Public Relations and Corporate representation. Stuart Price argues that the simulation of intimacy in authoritarian address masks a drive to power, in which the creation of propositions by powerful social actors is based on the 'timeliness' of utterance rather than any real adherence to truth or genuine explanation. Election broadcasts, political speeches, TV commercials and corporate advertisements are all scrutinised in order to evaluate competing perspectives on the creation and circulation of meaning; particular reference is made to theories of discourse, ideology and address. In the course of his argument, the author proposes an original method for determining how authoritarian address attempts to make an impact on audiences. Providing a cross-disciplinary contribution to the fields of Communication, Language, Media and Political Studies, this book provides an original, clear-sighted contribution to the debate on language and power, and will provide an essential resource for lecturers, researchers, students, activists and policy-makers.

Journalism, Power and Investigation presents a contemporary, trans-national analysis of investigative journalism. Beginning with a detailed introduction that examines the relationship between this form of public communication and normative conceptions of democracy, the book offers a selection of spirited contributions to current debates concerning the place, function, and political impact of investigative work. The 14 chapters, produced by practising journalists, academics, and activists, cover a range of topics, with examples drawn from the global struggle to produce reliable, in-depth accounts of public events. The collection brings together a range of significant investigations from across the world. These include an assignment conducted in the dangerous sectarian environment of Iraq, close engagement with Spain's Memory Movement, and an account of the work of radical charity Global Witness. Other chapters examine the relationship between journalists and state/corporate power, the troubled political legacy of WikiLeaks, the legal constraints on investigative journalism in the UK, and the bold international agenda of the investigative collective The Ferret. This material is accompanied by other analytical pieces on events in Bermuda, Brazil, and Egypt. Investigative journalism is a form of reportage that has long provided a benchmark for in-depth, critical interventions. Using numerous case studies, Journalism, Power and Investigation gives students and researchers an insight into the principles and methods that animate this global search for truth and justice.

In this original and provocative new book, Stuart Price identifies the existence of a practice that lies at the core of the western security regime -- the projection of the worst-case scenario. This consists of the projection of a significant material threat, made by an authoritative or executive power, used to bolster the security agenda of the neo-liberal state. This in turn has altered the conduct of military and police operations, which are increasingly directed against any substantial expression of dissent. Using a wide range of official sources and case studies - from 9/11 to the riots in Greece -- Price analyzes the paramilitary, political, economic and cultural maneuvers of the security regime as it attempts to reproduce a "command structure" within civil society. In doing so, he demonstrates that, unlike the openly "totalitarian" states of the past, bureaucratic rule is favored over charismatic leadership, and the ostentatious display of coercive authority is characterized as a temporary measure. It is, he argues, a process that must be recognized and resisted.

Brute Reality provides an authoritative analysis of those formal attempts, made by prominent social actors, to present a rationale for the existence and exercise of coercive power. The 'War on Terror' and its associated campaigns are presented as an aggressive attempt to assert the contradictory interests of a trans-national elite. The period chosen to illustrate the key characteristics of this enterprise, extends from the state of 'war' created after the September 11th attacks, to the strategic adjustments begun during the nadir of the Iraq adventure; it also includes reference to the modifications in policy carried out under the auspices of the Obama Presidency. The book provides a critical insight into a number of influential structures that have helped to shape contemporary attitudes to warfare, and contains a wealth of transcripts and media sources, from Channel Four's coverage of September 11th, to the rhetorical pronouncements of leading politicians. Brute Reality represents a significant addition to the existing literature on representations of the 'War on Terror' in the mass media, and will have a strong appeal to keen students of media, communication, cultural and American studies.

Contemporary protest, often presented in media forms as a dramatic ritual played out in an iconic public space has provided a potent symbol of the widespread economic and social discontent that is a feature of European life under the rule of "austerity." Yet, beneath this surface activity, which provides the headlines and images familiar from mainstream news coverage, lies a whole array of deeper structures, modes of behavior, and forms of human affiliation. Contemporary Protest and the Legacy of Dissent offers a vibrant and insightful overview of modern protest movements, ideologies, and events. Written by academics and activists familiar with the strategies, values, and arguments of those groups and individuals responsible for shaping the modern landscape of protest, it reveals the inside story of a number of campaigns and events. It analyzes the various manifestations of dissent-on and offline, visible and obscure, progressive and reactionary-through the work of a number of commentators and dedicated "academic activists," while reassessing the standard explanatory frameworks supplied by contemporary theorists. In doing so, it offers a coherent account of the range of academic and theoretical approaches to the study of protest and social movements. Contributions by: David Bates, Mark Bergfeld, Vincent Campbell, Claire English, Ingrid M. Hoofd, Soeren Keil, Matthew Ogilvie, Stuart Price, Anandi Ramamurthy, Ruth Sanz Sabido, Lee Salter, Cassian Sparkes-Vian, and Thomas Swann.

This volume represents a timely and essential contribution for both scholars and readers of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Whereas the bulk of literary, academic, and investigative coverage of the Pandemic has focussed on factors such as i) maintaining social cohesion, ii) developing a vaccine, iii) fighting fake news, this submission explores the erosion of civil liberties and human rights during the pandemic, the increase of policing and supervisory practices, and the innovative ways in which contemporary social movements have expressed their concerns at the measures governments have put in place. The volume challenges restrictions placed on freedom of speech, in which contrary opinions to mainstream public discourse have been branded as fake news, disinformation, or conspiratorial. It questions the legitimacy of authoritative voices such as the BBC with regards to the regurgitation of political dogma and the profound lack of investigative reportage therein. The volume examines how new or conventional social movements have responded to the pandemic and how fundamental human and civil rights such as those campaigned for by Black Lives Matter has united people from different backgrounds.

Sites of Protest examines the global resurgence of protest movements and the ways in which they use public and private space - both physical and 'immaterial' - to secure attention for a wide variety of causes, cultural events and moral campaigns. The book takes its readers inside the mindset, not only of protestors and activists, but also of the state and corporate authorities that attempt to limit the impact of dissent. It also explains how media outlets frame the wide variety of international events and controversies that make up modern protest movements, and examines the myths that surround activism and the Internet. Has the landscape of dissent changed forever, or does the fact that protestors still rely on the symbolism associated with a particular 'place', mean that their interventions will remain localised and will fail to create a universal appeal?

Sites of Protest examines the global resurgence of protest movements and the ways in which they use public and private space - both physical and 'immaterial' - to secure attention for a wide variety of causes, cultural events and moral campaigns. The book takes its readers inside the mindset, not only of protestors and activists, but also of the state and corporate authorities that attempt to limit the impact of dissent. It also explains how media outlets frame the wide variety of international events and controversies that make up modern protest movements, and examines the myths that surround activism and the Internet. Has the landscape of dissent changed forever, or does the fact that protestors still rely on the symbolism associated with a particular 'place', mean that their interventions will remain localised and will fail to create a universal appeal?

Contemporary protest, often presented in media forms as a dramatic ritual played out in an iconic public space has provided a potent symbol of the widespread economic and social discontent that is a feature of European life under the rule of "austerity." Yet, beneath this surface activity, which provides the headlines and images familiar from mainstream news coverage, lies a whole array of deeper structures, modes of behavior, and forms of human affiliation. Contemporary Protest and the Legacy of Dissent offers a vibrant and insightful overview of modern protest movements, ideologies, and events. Written by academics and activists familiar with the strategies, values, and arguments of those groups and individuals responsible for shaping the modern landscape of protest, it reveals the inside story of a number of campaigns and events. It analyzes the various manifestations of dissent-on and offline, visible and obscure, progressive and reactionary-through the work of a number of commentators and dedicated "academic activists," while reassessing the standard explanatory frameworks supplied by contemporary theorists. In doing so, it offers a coherent account of the range of academic and theoretical approaches to the study of protest and social movements. Contributions by: David Bates, Mark Bergfeld, Vincent Campbell, Claire English, Ingrid M. Hoofd, Soeren Keil, Matthew Ogilvie, Stuart Price, Anandi Ramamurthy, Ruth Sanz Sabido, Lee Salter, Cassian Sparkes-Vian, and Thomas Swann.

This collection of essays has its origins in the MeCCSA 2007 conference held in Coventry in January that year. Like most edited volumes which emerge from conference contexts, this one comprises a richly diverse set of original papers which span the various themes and topics which together make up the fascinating field of media and communication. The book is broadly divided into four sections: media/public; media workers and professional identity; media industries and policy concerns; and political communication. The first section looks at the transformation of the private and public spheres through new technologies, and the phenomenon and implications of audience-mediated genres such as reality TV. The second part of the book looks at media practice from the point of view of both content and the self-policing of professional norms. The third part considers media policy including gender issues within the Scottish creative industries, and the history and future of the BBC charter. The last section looks a political communication and essays here are concerned with elite political rhetoric, together with a consideration of the internet's impact on political activism. The editors believe that, within the wide-ranging subject matter our authors have considered, a common theme emerges. This is the way in which contemporary communication acts are structured by a number of closely related forces; capital, technology, social norms, resistive practices and gendered subjectivity all contribute to the production of public meaning.