Television News, Politics and Young People: Generation Disconnected?

by M. Wayne, J. Petley, C. Murray, L. Henderson

Overview

Why are young people alienated from television news? This book argues that contemporary trends indicating deepening disconnection from news about public life reflect both problems in the way television news covers politics - the single biggest item on the news - and problems with the nature of politics itself under neo-liberal capitalism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780230219359
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	04/09/2010
Edition description:	2010
Pages:	235
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

MIKE WAYNE is Professor in Screen Media at Brunel University, UK.

CRAIG MURRAY has a Ph.D. from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. He has worked on research projects at Liverpool University and Brunel University in London, UK, and is currently chief media analyst at a media monitoring company in Oslo, Norway.

JULIAN PETLEY is Professor of Screen Media and Journalism in the School of Arts, Brunel University, UK. His most recent publication is Censorship: A Beginner's Guide (2009). He is co-principal editor of the Journal of British Cinema and Television, and chair of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom.

LESLEY HENDERSON is Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Communications in the School of Social Sciences, Brunel University, UK. She has published widely on factual and fictional media production and public understandings of diverse issues. Her most recent book is Social Issues in Television Fiction (2007).

Table of Contents

List of Tables vi

List of Figures vii

List of Illustrations viii

Acknowledgements ix

Introduction 1

1 The Crisis of Political Representation 13

2 Young People, Politics and Television 37

3 Broadcasters' Perspectives 52

4 Content Analysis of Television News 75

5 The Symbolic Criminalisation of Young people 99

6 The Monopolisation of Political Discourse 121

7 The Boundaries of Political Debate: Animal Rights 144

8 Apathetic or Excluded? Young People, News and the Electronic Media 164

9 Talk Back: Young Audiences and Reception 185

Conclusion: Is Another Television News Paradigm Possible? 212

Notes 220

Bibliography 223

Index 233

Editorial Reviews

'A wonderfully thought-provoking rejoinder to those who maintain that the media defends liberty through the dominance of the commercial market. Written by experienced scholars in the field who provide some fascinating insights into the hidden world of senior newscasters and producers.' - Brian D. Loader, University of York, UK

'...a well constructed book, with plenty of empirical material as well as argument.' - Soundings

From the Publisher