A Virtuous Circle

Political Communications in Postindustrial Societies (Communication, Society and Politics)

Edición de la obra A Virtuous Circle

"Is the process of political communication by the news media and by parties responsible for civic malaise? A Virtuous Circle sets out to challenge this conventional wisdom. Based on a comparison of the role of the news media and parties in postindustrial societies, focusing in particular on western Europe and the United States, this study argues that rather than mistakenly 'blaming the messenger', we need to understand and confront more deep-rooted flaws in representative democracy." "The book outlines appropriate standards for evaluating the performance of the news media and compares changes in the news media, including the rise of the Internet and the development of postmodern election campaigns. Norris shows that although negative news can erode public support for specific policy issues, in general there is a consistently positive relationship between attention to the news media and political knowledge, trust, and participation. The theory of a 'virtuous circle' is proposed to account for the main findings."--Jacket.