Logo

Synopsis Political Journalism is a broad branch of Journalism that includes coverage of all aspects of politics and political science although the term usually refers specifically to coverage of civil Governments and political power. Political Journalism is a frequent subject of opinion Journalism as current political events are analysed interpreted and discussed by news media pundits and editorialists. The depiction of political issues in the media has long defied analytic understanding and description. Important work such as Bennetts Index Theory or Gans Paraideology Theory in which mass media professionals largely set the voices in their coverage to mirror that of mainstream Government debate offer compelling visions but are only intermittently supported by data. This book suggests that such theories enjoy inconsistent support because they fail to consider the interaction between journalists incentives and the political climate. The book explores political journalism in the making and maps the opportunities and threats encountered by political journalism in the contemporary sphere.