Soft News Goes to War: Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy in the New Media Age
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.42 (709 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0691123772 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 344 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-10-28 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
But, as this well-written book cogently demonstrates, soft news viewers represent a largely untapped reservoir of unusually persuadable voters.. The American public has consistently declared itself less concerned with foreign affairs in the post-Cold War era, even after 9/11, than at any time since World War II. How can it be, then, that public attentiveness to U.S. The results hold key implications for the future of American politics and foreign policy. For instance, watching soft news reinforces isolationism among many inattentive Americans. The information revolution has fundamentally changed the way the mass media, especially television, covers foreign policy. foreign policy crises has increased? This book represents the first systematic attempt to explain this apparent paradox. In so doing he develops a compelling "byproduct" theory of information consumption. By transforming political issues involving scandal or violence (especially attacks against America) into entertainment, the "soft news" media have actually captured more viewers who will now follow news about foreign crises, due to its entertainment value, even if they remain uninterested in foreign policy.Baum rigorously tests his theory through content analyses of traditional and soft news media coverage of various post-WWII U.S. Scholars, political analysts, and even politicians have tended to ignore the soft news media and politically disengaged citizens. Matthew Baum argues that the answer li
This is a great book in political communication BookReviewPA This is a great book in political communication. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in political communication, public opinion, and foreign policy.
Althaus, Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics"Baum's study of 'soft news' is comprehensive. Lance Holbert, Public Opinion Quarterly"Baum presents a detailed theoretical model that serves as a foundation for his study of soft news. I recommend it highly for all students of contemporary political communication and public opinion."--Susan Herbst, Political Communication. It is important that future research in this area use Baum's model as a foundation from which to bring greater sophistication (relative to greater complexity) in outlining the processes that generate soft news effects."--R. Lance Holbert, Public Opinion Quarterly"Baum sets us off on some productive paths for more research in the area. It is rare to see a combination of use-, content-,