Crisis of Public Communication »

The role of the mass media in the world of politics has become increasingly influential and controversial. Over the past few years, one disturbing question has cast a shadow over the entire issue: who is dictating to who?

Jay Blumler and Michael Gurevitch are two of the most respected scholars in the area of communications studes. In The Crisis of Civic Communication, their in-depth analysis points to the undeniable fact that political communication is no longer part of democratic ideals. The book traces the origins and development of this phenonmenon, basing discussion on detailed critiques of BBC coverage of general elections since 1966. Blaming neither politicians nor journalists Blumler and Gurevitch find that the roots of the problem are bound up with our contemporary environment, characterized by an increasingly disaffected audience.