A new book of Robert McChesney More than any other work, The Political Economy of Media demonstrates the incompatibility of the corporate media system with a viable democratic public sphere, and the corrupt policymaking process that brings the system into existence. Among the most acclaimed communication scholars in the world, Robert W. McChesney has brought together all the major themes of his two decades of research. Rich in detail, evidence, and thoughtful arguments, The Political Economy of Media provides a comprehensive critique of the degradation of journalism, the hyper-commercialization of culture, the Internet, and the emergence of the contemporary media reform movement. The Political Economy of Media is mandatory reading for anyone wishing to understand and change media, and the political economy, in the world today.
Introdution. This book presents research and critical analysis in the tradition known as the political economy of media, also known as the political economy of communication. (Though for the most part I will use the term “political economy of media” in this book, I regard both terms as synonymous and have used them widely in my work over the years.) In Communication Revolution: Critical Junctures and the Future of Media, the 2007 book that is the companion volume to this one, I laid out my assessment of the field of political economy of media, its history, its domain, its relationship to other branches of communication research, its relationship with popular politics, and the pressing research issues before it. In this book I provide examples of my own research in this tradition, in twenty-three essays written in the quarter-century from 1984 to 2008. Read the rest of this entry »
