A Virtuous Circle
Political Communications in Postindustrial Societies

This book, first published in 2000, challenges the idea that the news media and political parties are responsible for civic malaise.

Pippa Norris (Author)

9780521790154, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 September 2000

420 pages, 38 b/w illus. 36 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.7 cm, 0.79 kg

'… from here on, someone studying the issue will have to confront A Virtuous Circle. the book deserves a wide audience.' International Journal of Public Opinion Research

Is the process of political communications by the news media and by parties responsible for civic malaise? A Virtuous Circle sets out to challenge the conventional wisdom that it is. Based on a comparative examination of the role of the news media and parties in 29 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 systems of representative democracy. This 2000 book outlines appropriate standards for evaluating the performance of the news media and the methods available to study this issue. It also compares changes in the news media including the rise of the Internet and the development of post-modern 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. For more information on the book, please visit the author's website at www.pippanorris.com.

List of tables
List of figures
Preface
Part I. The News Media and Civic Malaise: 1. The news media and democracy
2. Evaluating media performance
3. Understanding political communications
Part II. Trends in Political Communication: 4. The decline of newspapers?
5. The rise (and fall?) of the television age
6. The emerging internet era
7. The evolution of campaign communications
8. The rise of the post-modern campaign?
Part III. The Impact on Democracy: 9. Negative news, negative public?
10. Knows little? Information and choice
11. Cares less? Cynical media, cynical public?
12. Stays home? Political mobilization
13. American exceptionalism?
14. A virtuous circle?
Technical appendix
Notes
Select bibliography
Author index
Subject index.

Subject Areas: Political economy [KCP]