Politics, Society, and the Media, Second Edition

by Paul Nesbitt-Larking

Overview

Politics, Society, and the Media is the first comprehensive political sociology of the media to be published in Canada. Paul Nesbitt-Larking draws upon a range of disciplines, including cultural and media studies, political economy, social theory, and political science to provide an analysis of the relationship between power and representation in Canada.

The framework for the book presents a model of the mutual interaction between politics and the media. Attention is focused in the early chapters on how cultural, ideological, economic, and governmental forces shape and condition the production of media in Canada. Chapters on the work of Innis, Grant, McLuhan, and their postmodern successors place the evolution of McLuhan's theoretical argument that "the medium is the message" at the heart of the book. Canadian identity, and how to understand Canadian media politically, is the subject of a chapter on textual analysis. Two extensive chapters follow on the media’s influence and effects on politics.

In addition to standard topics on politics and the media, this new edition offers much more: an examination of the media on the politics of gender and aboriginal peoples, the micro-politics of the media workplace, and an exploration of important media-related considerations. Throughout, reference is made to relevant and compelling issues placed within the context of media theory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442604285
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	01/01/2007
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	416
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Paul Nesbitt-Larking is Associate Professor and Chair of Political Science at Huron University College in London, Ontario. A regular commentator on television and radio, his publications on Canadian and comparative politics include articles in The Canadian Journal of Political Science, The Journal of Legislative Studies, and Political Psychology. He is co-producer of the DVD, Conversations on Canadian Politics, and is author of the forthcoming book, The Political Psychology of Globalization.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

1. Why? How? What?
2. Press Gangs: The Role of the Newspaper in Canadian Political Life
3. The Masses and the Masseys: The Political History of Broadcasting in Canada
4. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Culture, Ideology, and the Media
5. (Almost) Everywhere They Are in Chains: The Political Economy of Communications in Canada
6. Sticks, Carrots, and Party Favours: State and Political Regulation of the Media
7. Life in the Sausage Factory: Possibilities and Constraints of Media Organizations
8. The Decline and Fall of the American Empire: Space and Time in the Work of Innis, Grant, and McLuhan
9. Mass Rallies, Mass Consumption, and (Mass) Confusion: Approaches to the Media in the Postmodern World
10. Drums and Wires: The Political Deconstruction of Canadian Texts
11. Moving Voters, Moving Accounts, and Moving Wallpaper: The Politics of Reading
12. Lies, Damn Lies, and Opinion Polls: Do the Media Massage the Message?
13. From Experience to Editorial: Gatekeeping, Agenda-Setting, Priming, and Framing
14. Social Responsibility and Antisocial Irresponsibility: Ethics, Participation, Political Activism, and the Media

Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

James R. Compton

Nesbitt-Larking stick handles contentious debates involving political economy, sociology, and cultural studies with confidence and humour. Politics, Society, and the Media sheds light on the complex relation between power and representation while never losing sight of historical context and the pressing need to challenge common sense interpretations of reality. Written from a Canadian perspective and in clear lucid prose, Nesbitt-Larking shows how dominant social relations of class, race, and gender structure the production, distribution, and consumption of media texts, while simultaneously pointing to the promise of democratic change. This book is a must read for all students of Canadian media and politics.

Nick Baxter-Moore

In Politics, Society, and the Media, Paul Nesbitt-Larking expertly combines approaches drawn from political economy and critical cultural studies to develop a framework for the analysis of the role of mass media in politics (broadly defined) and contemporary society. He introduces often-complex, sophisticated ideas in lively and accessible prose, illustrating them with relevant and recent examples from Canada and elsewhere. In this second edition, he weaves new contributions to central debates in media and communications studies into an already well-organized and comprehensive text. Not content with providing theoretical and empirical insight into the relationships between mass media, society, and politics, Nesbitt-Larking challenges his readers to become more critical consumers of media and provides a number of strategies to encourage them to do so.

Editorial Reviews

"...it is not only the best introduction available to students of media and communications but is also an essential text for anyone with a serious interest in journalism history, the inner workings of news media and their impact on politics and society in general. Nesbitt-Larking has a rare gift for explaining the intricacies of various communication theories clearly and meaningfully. His special contribution is to relate these theories, most of them put forward by American or European scholars, 'within the context of the essential character of Canadian historical development.' As far as I am aware, this has not been done before, certainly not as competently or as clearly."—Peter Desbarats, The Literary Review of Canada

In Politics, Society, and the Media, Paul Nesbitt-Larking expertly combines approaches drawn from political economy and critical cultural studies to develop a framework for the analysis of the role of mass media in politics (broadly defined) and contemporary society. He introduces often-complex, sophisticated ideas in lively and accessible prose, illustrating them with relevant and recent examples from Canada and elsewhere. In this second edition, he weaves new contributions to central debates in media and communications studies into an already well-organized and comprehensive text. Not content with providing theoretical and empirical insight into the relationships between mass media, society, and politics, Nesbitt-Larking challenges his readers to become more critical consumers of media and provides a number of strategies to encourage them to do so.

—Nick Baxter-Moore, Chair, Department of Communications, Popular Culture and Film, Brock University

Nesbitt-Larking stick handles contentious debates involving political economy, sociology, and cultural studies with confidence and humour. Politics, Society, and the Media sheds light on the complex relation between power and representation while never losing sight of historical context and the pressing need to challenge common sense interpretations of reality. Written from a Canadian perspective and in clear lucid prose, Nesbitt-Larking shows how dominant social relations of class, race, and gender structure the production, distribution, and consumption of media texts, while simultaneously pointing to the promise of democratic change. This book is a must read for all students of Canadian media and politics.

—James R. Compton, Faculty of Information and Media Studies, University of Western Ontario

From the Publisher

"...it is not only the best introduction available to students of media and communications but is also an essential text for anyone with a serious interest in journalism history, the inner workings of news media and their impact on politics and society in general. Nesbitt-Larking has a rare gift for explaining the intricacies of various communication theories clearly and meaningfully. His special contribution is to relate these theories, most of them put forward by American or European scholars, 'within the context of the essential character of Canadian historical development.' As far as I am aware, this has not been done before, certainly not as competently or as clearly."

The Literary Review of Canada - Peter Desbarats