Public Communication in Freefall
Revisiting the work of Jay Blumler
Edited by Stephen Coleman, Frank Esser, Julie Firmstone, Katy Parry, Chris Paterson. Part of the Palgrave/IAMCR book series Global Transformations in Media and Communication Research.
This volume:
- Explores the usefulness of the 'crisis' concept for understanding mainstream political communication
- Discusses the fragile potential of public service media and social media to improve democratic news performance
- Addresses Jay Blumler's intellectual legacy from a variety of theoretical and empirical perspectives
It examines key challenges facing global political communication at a time in which transformations in political practice, media ecology and cultural expectations both threaten traditional democratic norms and point to potential new ways of enacting political democracy. Drawing upon the outstanding theoretical insights of Jay Blumler to our understanding of the norms and practices of political communication, but also critically interrogating and updating them where appropriate, the volume asks timely questions about what publicness and democracy mean in the 2020s.
Many people are talking and writing about the crisis of political democracy, fewer are talking about the role of the media in relation to that crisis. While many scholars have responded in an ad hoc way to the various crises of populism, polarisation, mis and disinformation, this book shows how Jay Blumler’s scholarship provides us with the tools and framework to research and understand the changing communication environment systemically and rigorously. The book demonstrates the applicability and relevance of Blumler’s work in explicating the current crisis of communication and the need for fresh and radical thinking in tackling it. The book's breadth and depth of chapters from a broad range of scholars from the East and West, ranging from long-standing contributors to the field to those in the early stages of their career, combine to produce a thoughtful and provocative invitation to reflect upon the concept of a ‘crisis of public communication’. We expect this book to become a major source for political communication students and scholars.
The above text is from the publisher's description of the book.
Discount for IAMCR members
IAMCR members are entitled to a special 35% discount on all titles in the series. If you are a member of IAMCR, email GlobalTransformations@iamcr.org with "global transformations discount" as the subject of your message for details on how to get your discount for the hardcover copy.
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Title: Public Communication in Freefall. Revisiting the work of Jay Blumler
Editors: Stephen Coleman, Frank Esser, Julie Firmstone, Katy Parry, Chris Paterson
Published: 2025
Pages: 254