Journalism and democracy an evaluation of the political public sphere - McNair, Brian (Routledge, 2000)
Includes bibliographical references (pages 180-198) and index
Journalism and democracy: the debate -- - Political public sphere: an anatomy -- - Policy, process, performance and sleaze: an evaluation of the political news agenda -- - Interpretative moment: the journalism of commentary and analysis -- - Interrogative moment: the British political interview -- - Sound of the crowd: access and the political media -- - 'Spin, whores spin': the demonisation of political public relations -- - Media and politics, 1992-97 -- - Political journalism and the crisis of mass representation
"The public sphere is said to be in crisis. Dumbing down, tabloidisation, infotainment and spin are alleged to contaminate it, adversely affecting the quality of political journalism and of democracy itself. There is a pervasive pessimism about the relationship between the media and democracy, and widespread concern for the future of the political process." "Journalism and Democracy challenges this orthodoxy, arguing instead for an alternative, more optimistic evaluation of the contemporary public sphere and its contribution to the political process."--Jacket