The action theoretical approach has already proved its value as a framework for communication research, most especially in the study of media audiences and media use. It has deep roots in Weberian sociology, symbolic interactionism and phenomenology and it has been a robust survivor of the various storms that have beset the practice of the social sciences since the collapse of structuralist and social system paradigms. The social action approach privileges the perspective of the acting individual but offers guidelines for connecting the subjective orientation with networks of social interaction and for treating 'behaviour' as a social process. Research within this framework takes account of the wider social context and calls for a careful combination of empirical observation and interpretation, with a corresponding diversity of methodologies. The appeal of the approach stems also from its flexibility, wide range of applications and sensitivity to cultural and social meanings. The contributions assembled in this book, despite their diversity, can all be placed within the framework of social action theory. Some are reports of empirical inquiries, others reflections on theory but each one sheds some light on the significance of media use in everyday experience and contributes to an understanding of communication in society.

Was the 1959 UK General Election the first television election? Could television be used to create a Party ‘image’? Television and the Political Image (1961) provides answers to both these questions. It surveys two constituencies, interviewing the same cross-section of electors before and after the election campaign, and analyses and compares the campaigns as conducted by television, radio, the Press, and through the work of the local Parties. Various effects of the political barrage are measured and attributed to their sources; such effects include changes in voting intention during the course of the election campaign, changes in attitudes to Parties and their leaders, and changes in what the voter knows of the parties’ policies.

Media and communication research is a diverse and stimulating field of inquiry, not only in subject matter but also in purposes and methodologies. Over the past twenty years, and in step with the contemporary shift toward trans-disciplinarity, Media Studies has rapidly developed a very significant body of theory and evidence. Media Studies is here to stay and scholars in the discipline have a vital contribution to make. The SAGE Handbook of Media Studies surveys and evaluates the theories, practices, and future of the field. Editor John Downing and associate editors Denis McQuail, Philip Schlesinger, and Ellen Wartella have brought together a team of international contributors to provide a varied critical analysis of this intensely interesting field of study. The Handbook offers a comprehensive review within five interconnected areas: humanistic and social scientific approaches; global and comparative perspectives; the relation of media to economy and power; media users; and elements in the media mosaic ranging from media ethics to advertising, from popular music to digital technologies, and from Hollywood and Bollywood to alternative media. The contributors to The Handbook are from Australia, Austria, Britain, Canada, France, Guatemala, India, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, and the United States. Each contributor offers a unique perspective on topics broad in scope. The Handbook is an ideal resource for university media researchers, for faculty developing new courses and revising curricula, and for graduate courses in media studies. It is also a necessary addition to any academic library.

"Every serious student of journalism should read this book... Denis McQuail has succeeded in producing a work of scholarship that shows what journalists do and what they should do." - Stephen Coleman, University of Leeds "For a half century we have spoken earnestly of journalism's responsibility to society instead of to business and government. Now this concept is given sophistication unmatched, by the best scholar of media theory of his generation." - Clifford Christians, University of Illinois "The grand old man of communication theory presents an overarching social theory of journalism that goes beyond the usual Anglo-American focus." - Jo Bardoel, University of Amsterdam (ASCoR) and Nijmegen "This book deals with the eternal question of how journalism is linked to society... I cannot think of a better staple food for students of journalism at all levels." - Kaarle Nordenstreng, University of Tampere This is a major new statement on the role of journalism in democracy from one of media and communication's leading thinkers. Denis McQuail leads the reader through a systematic exploration of how and why journalism and society have become so inextricably entwined and - as importantly - what this relationship should be like. It is a strong re-statement of the fundamental values that journalism aspires to. Written for students, this book: Makes the theory accessible and relevant Teaches the importance of journalism to power and politics Explores the status and future of journalism as a profession Outlines the impact and consequences of the digital Reveals journalism as it is, but also as it should be Takes each chapter further with guided reading list and free online journal articles. This textbook is the perfect answer to the how and why of journalism. It is crucial reading for any student of media studies, communication studies and journalism.

Presents the main existing models of the mass communications process which have been developed during the last thirty years, providing brief descriptions of the most significant concepts and ideas in the study of mass communication, using graphic and verbal models.

The action theoretical approach has already proved its value as a framework for communication research, most especially in the study of media audiences and media use. It has deep roots in Weberian sociology, symbolic interactionism and phenomenology and it has been a robust survivor of the various storms that have beset the practice of the social sciences since the collapse of structuralist and social system paradigms. The social action approach privileges the perspective of the acting individual but offers guidelines for connecting the subjective orientation with networks of social interaction and for treating 'behaviour' as a social process. Research within this framework takes account of the wider social context and calls for a careful combination of empirical observation and interpretation, with a corresponding diversity of methodologies. The appeal of the approach stems also from its flexibility, wide range of applications and sensitivity to cultural and social meanings. The contributions assembled in this book, despite their diversity, can all be placed within the framework of social action theory. Some are reports of empirical inquiries, others reflections on theory but each one sheds some light on the significance of media use in everyday experience and contributes to an understanding of communication in society.

"What a magnificent invitation to the field of media and communication - full of lively debate and relevant examples yet carefully balanced, comprehensive in scope and thoughtfully explained." - Professor Sonia Livingstone, London School of Economics and Political Science "This informative, important and readable volume should populate the shelves of all those wanting to understand more fully how the media and mass communication operate today." - Professor Barbie Zelizer, Annenberg School for Communication Now in its seventh edition, this landmark text continues to define the field of media and mass communication theory and research. It is a uniquely comprehensive and balanced guide to the world of pervasive, ubiquitous, mobile, social and always-online media that we live in today. New to this edition: Explores mass communication and media theory in an age of big data, algorithmic culture, AI, platform governance, streaming services, and mass self-communication. Discusses the ethics of media and mass communication in all chapters. Introduces a diverse and global range of voices, histories and examples from across the field. Ties theory to the way media industries work and what it's like to make all kinds of media, including journalism, advertising, film, television, and digital games. This book is the benchmark for studying media and mass communication in the 21st century.

Presents the main existing models of the mass communications process which have been developed during the last thirty years, providing brief descriptions of the most significant concepts and ideas in the study of mass communication, using graphic and verbal models.

This exciting collection of papers represents some of the finest communications research published during the last decade. To mark the 20th anniversary of the European Journal of Communication, a leading international journal, the editors have selected 21 papers, all of which make significant and valuable interventions in the field of media and communications. The volume is prefaced with an introduction by the editors and will be a central research text for scholars in this field.

The word audience has long been familiar as the collective term for the "receivers" in the model of mass communication process (source, channel, message, receiver, effect). It is a term that is understood by media practitioners and theorists alike and has entered into everyday usage; however, there is much room for differences of meaning, misunderstandings, and theoretical conflicts. In Audience Analysis, author Denis McQuail provides a coherent and succinct account of the concept "media audience" in terms of its history and its place in present-day media theory and research. He describes and explains the main types of audience, alternative theories about the audience, and the main traditions and fields of audience research. This informative volume explains the contrast between social scientific and humanistic approaches and gives due weight to the view "from the audience," as well as the view "from the media." It summarizes key research findings and assesses the impact of new media developments, especially transnationalization and new interactive technology. Finally, the volume concludes with an evaluation of the continued relevance of the audience concept under conditions of rapid media change. Providing both an overview of past research and a guide to current thinking, Audience Analysis will be enlightening to academics and students in the fields of mass communication and media studies.

"What a magnificent invitation to the field of media and communication - full of lively debate and relevant examples yet carefully balanced, comprehensive in scope and thoughtfully explained." - Professor Sonia Livingstone, London School of Economics and Political Science "This informative, important and readable volume should populate the shelves of all those wanting to understand more fully how the media and mass communication operate today." - Professor Barbie Zelizer, Annenberg School for Communication Now in its seventh edition, this landmark text continues to define the field of media and mass communication theory and research. It is a uniquely comprehensive and balanced guide to the world of pervasive, ubiquitous, mobile, social and always-online media that we live in today. New to this edition: Explores mass communication and media theory in an age of big data, algorithmic culture, AI, platform governance, streaming services, and mass self-communication. Discusses the ethics of media and mass communication in all chapters. Introduces a diverse and global range of voices, histories and examples from across the field. Ties theory to the way media industries work and what it's like to make all kinds of media, including journalism, advertising, film, television, and digital games. This book is the benchmark for studying media and mass communication in the 21st century.

"Every serious student of journalism should read this book... Denis McQuail has succeeded in producing a work of scholarship that shows what journalists do and what they should do." - Stephen Coleman, University of Leeds "For a half century we have spoken earnestly of journalism's responsibility to society instead of to business and government. Now this concept is given sophistication unmatched, by the best scholar of media theory of his generation." - Clifford Christians, University of Illinois "The grand old man of communication theory presents an overarching social theory of journalism that goes beyond the usual Anglo-American focus." - Jo Bardoel, University of Amsterdam (ASCoR) and Nijmegen "This book deals with the eternal question of how journalism is linked to society... I cannot think of a better staple food for students of journalism at all levels." - Kaarle Nordenstreng, University of Tampere This is a major new statement on the role of journalism in democracy from one of media and communication's leading thinkers. Denis McQuail leads the reader through a systematic exploration of how and why journalism and society have become so inextricably entwined and - as importantly - what this relationship should be like. It is a strong re-statement of the fundamental values that journalism aspires to. Written for students, this book: Makes the theory accessible and relevant Teaches the importance of journalism to power and politics Explores the status and future of journalism as a profession Outlines the impact and consequences of the digital Reveals journalism as it is, but also as it should be Takes each chapter further with guided reading list and free online journal articles. This textbook is the perfect answer to the how and why of journalism. It is crucial reading for any student of media studies, communication studies and journalism.

In this book, five leading scholars of media and communication take on the difficult but important task of explicating the role of journalism in democratic societies. Using Fred S. Siebert, Theodore Peterson, and Wilbur Schramm's classic Four Theories of the Press as their point of departure, the authors explore the philosophical underpinnings and the political realities that inform a normative approach to questions about the relationship between journalism and democracy, investigating not just what journalism is but what it ought to be. The authors identify four distinct yet overlapping roles for the media: the monitorial role of a vigilant informer collecting and publishing information of potential interest to the public; the facilitative role that not only reports on but also seeks to support and strengthen civil society; the radical role that challenges authority and voices support for reform; and the collaborative role that creates partnerships between journalists and centers of power in society, notably the state, to advance mutually acceptable interests. Demonstrating the value of a reconsideration of media roles, Normative Theories of the Media provides a sturdy foundation for subsequent discussions of the changing media landscape and what it portends for democratic ideals.

In this book, five leading scholars of media and communication take on the difficult but important task of explicating the role of journalism in democratic societies. Using Fred S. Siebert, Theodore Peterson, and Wilbur Schramm's classic Four Theories of the Press as their point of departure, the authors explore the philosophical underpinnings and the political realities that inform a normative approach to questions about the relationship between journalism and democracy, investigating not just what journalism is but what it ought to be. The authors identify four distinct yet overlapping roles for the media: the monitorial role of a vigilant informer collecting and publishing information of potential interest to the public; the facilitative role that not only reports on but also seeks to support and strengthen civil society; the radical role that challenges authority and voices support for reform; and the collaborative role that creates partnerships between journalists and centers of power in society, notably the state, to advance mutually acceptable interests. Demonstrating the value of a reconsideration of media roles, Normative Theories of the Media provides a sturdy foundation for subsequent discussions of the changing media landscape and what it portends for democratic ideals.

Books on journalists typically focus on the dynamics of the newsmaking process. The Politics of News: The News of Politics extends this examination to explore the struggle between journalists, political actors, and the public for control of the news in democratic countries. The book shows how the news media function as an intermediary between governments and citizens, as well as between political actors (such as parties and interest groups) and the public. Essays present a diversity of views and are written by a distinguished group of authors that includes such luminaries as Jim Lehrer, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Robert Picard, and Andrew Kohut. The Politics of News is policy-oriented. By diagnosing problems faced by those whose influence affects newsmaking in both existing and emerging democracies, authors generate ideas about possible reforms. Several chapters offer comparative analysis that offer students insight into the impact of cultural factors on newsmaking. Accessible yet sophisticated, this anticipated second edition covers significant issues surrounding political news, ranging from the limits of press freedom during times of war and the implications of media concentration for democratic participation, to the ingenious ways that governments and interest groups draw attention to their concerns.

This exciting collection of papers represents some of the finest communications research published during the last decade. To mark the 20th anniversary of the European Journal of Communication, a leading international journal, the editors have selected 21 papers, all of which make significant and valuable interventions in the field of media and communications. The volume is prefaced with an introduction by the editors and will be a central research text for scholars in this field.

McQuail's Reader in Mass Communication Theory provides an invaluable resource of key statements drawn from communication studies, media sociology and cultural studies, and includes an overview essay and section introductions which place the readings in their theoretical and methodological context. Designed as a companion to McQuail's Mass Communication Theory, it can also function independently of that text.

The word audience has long been familiar as the collective term for the "receivers" in the model of mass communication process (source, channel, message, receiver, effect). It is a term that is understood by media practitioners and theorists alike and has entered into everyday usage; however, there is much room for differences of meaning, misunderstandings, and theoretical conflicts. In Audience Analysis, author Denis McQuail provides a coherent and succinct account of the concept "media audience" in terms of its history and its place in present-day media theory and research. He describes and explains the main types of audience, alternative theories about the audience, and the main traditions and fields of audience research. This informative volume explains the contrast between social scientific and humanistic approaches and gives due weight to the view "from the audience," as well as the view "from the media." It summarizes key research findings and assesses the impact of new media developments, especially transnationalization and new interactive technology. Finally, the volume concludes with an evaluation of the continued relevance of the audience concept under conditions of rapid media change. Providing both an overview of past research and a guide to current thinking, Audience Analysis will be enlightening to academics and students in the fields of mass communication and media studies.

"The author discusses the issue of 'public interest' and attempts to relate it to the measurement of media performance. The relationship between these two concepts is the main contribution of this book. Many studies focused on these concepts but McQuail provides a thorough attempt to relate them within a framework of communication theory and research." --International Journal of Public Opinion Research "McQuail, a professor of mass communication at the University of Amsterdam, has put together a comprehensive, theory-based review of research on media performance. . . . There are insights in every chapter of this book, which merits the attention of all who conduct research on the media and the public interest. . . . The book is a valuable resource for all who engage in serious thought about the media and the public interest." --Canadian Journal of Communication "McQuail is at his most thorough here, pinning down the meanings he wants, exploring the origins of 'public' concerns, feeling for the contours and outer limits of policy discourse focused on newspapers and broadcasting, in North America and Western Europe. . . . There is an admirable scholarly thoroughness in his goal. . . . Its strength is its encyclopedic casting of a net into a wide sea of research. . . . It will be a useful book to dip into, guiding the student back to its generous reference list for further enlightenment." --Irish Communication Review "Both comprehensive and penetrating are the adjectives properly applied to this study. . . . This book serves its public well. It is comparative in approach, examining American, British, Continental, and other branches of the media, analyzing the similarities and differences, the strengths and weaknesses. As such it is a book profitably read." --Journal of Popular Culture "Media Performance is a new, far-reaching text by the University of Amsterdam-based scholar that stands back, takes in developments in many countries, and suggests new frameworks for assessing media in the 1990s. This is important reading from a long-time critical observer of the media scene. . . . This is important reading because of the breadth and depth of the arguments and discussion, because of the author's own record and long-term thinking on these things (this project has been under way for some 15 or more years), and because of its timing--as we all search for new and better ways of assessing media in a changing society. McQuail takes into account technology, changing economic and political ideologies in a variety of countries, and changing conceptions of print and electronic media. Highly recommended." --Communication Booknotes "This far-reaching and important study from a long-time critical observer of the media scene takes in developments in many countries and suggests new frameworks for assessing media in the 1990's. . . .Important and recommended for good communication collections--this will be widely used and widely cited. --Choice "When a short list of the most important books on communication media in the last half of the 20th century is drawn up at some future date, I would not be surprised to see Denis McQuail's Media Performance at the top. While others use bloated language and fanciful impressions to talk about 'media performance,' McQuail, one of the world's leading media sociologists and all-around scholars, provides a powerful and integrative analysis. There is something orchestral about Media Performance in the way that it draws the best soundings from our literature, presents a cohesive and coherent theory, and offers a rich agenda for research. The formulations here on the often slippery concept of the public interest are explicated and explored with force. This book goes to the top of my list as the most intellectually satisfying book about the media in decades." --Everette E. Dennis, Executive Director, The Freedom Forum Media Studies Center and Editor-in-Chief, Media Studies Journal "Practitioners-in-training, media critics, and communication policy makers alike would benefit from McQuail's magisterial review and synthesis of this diverse and often fugitive literature. This book proves just how relevant mass communication scholarship can be for hard thinking about real-world problems." --Mark R. Levy, University of Maryland

First published in 1985. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.