Soft news goes to war : public opinion and American foreign policy in the new media age / Matthew A. Baum.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Baum, Matthew A., 1965-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Television broadcasting of news--United States.

Television broadcasting of news.

International relations.

Public opinion.

Magazine format television programs.

United States.

Magazine format television programs--United States.

United States--Foreign relations--Public opinion.

Physical Description:

xii, 353 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, [2003]

Summary:

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. foreign policy crises has increased? This book represents the first systematic attempt to explain this apparent paradox. Matthew Baum argues that the answer lies in changes to television's presentation of political information. In so doing he develops a compelling "byproduct" theory of information consumption. The information revolution has fundamentally changed the way the mass media, especially television, covers foreign policy. Traditional news has been repackaged into numerous entertainment-oriented news programs and talk shows. 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. foreign crises and statistical analyses of public opinion surveys. 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. Scholars, political analysts, and even politicians have tended to ignore the soft news media and politically disengaged citizens. But, as this well-written book cogently demonstrates, soft news viewers represent a largely untapped reservoir of unusually persuadable voters.

Contents:

Chapter 1 War and Entertainment 1

Appendix Defining "Attentiveness" 15

Chapter 2 Soft News and the Accidentally Attentive Public 18

Appendix Locating Changes in Cognitive Costs and Benefits 53

Chapter 3 "I Heard It on Oprah" 57

Appendix Content Analysis Coding Form 95

Chapter 4 Bringing War to the Masses 97

Appendix 1. On Using Opinionation as an Indicator of Attentiveness 133

Chapter 5 Tuning Out the World Isn't as Easy as It Used to Be 156

Appendix 2. Testing for Floor and Ceiling Effects 200

Appendix 3. Comparing Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf War 202

Chapter 6 Rallying Round the Water Cooler 212

Appendix 1. Variable Definitions 223

Chapter 7 Soft News and World Views: Foreign Policy Attitudes of the Inattentive Public 229

Chapter 8 Soft News, Public Opinion, and American Foreign Policy: The Good, the Bad, and the Merely Entertaining 269

Appendix Statistical Tables 292.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [295]-343) and index.

ISBN:

0691115869

OCLC:

51264466

Online:

Publisher description