The politics of persuasion : economic policy and media bias in the modern era / Anthony R. DiMaggio.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dimaggio, Anthony R., 1980- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Public opinion--Political aspects--United States.

Public opinion.

Mass media--Political aspects--United States--History--21st century.

Mass media.

United States--Economic policy--21st century.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (392 pages) : illustrations, tables

Place of Publication:

Albany, New York : SUNY Press, 2017.

Summary:

Tracking the effects of media content on the public is a difficult endeavor, and media effects vary on a subject-to-subject basis. To address this challenge, The Politics of Persuasion employs a multifaceted, mixed method approach to studying mass media and public attitudes. Anthony R. DiMaggio analyzes more than a dozen case studies covering US domestic economic policy and examines a wide range of theories of how bias operates in mass media with regard to coverage of these issues. While some research claims that journalists are overly negative and biased against government officials, some reveals that journalists favor citizens groups. Still other studies contend there is a liberal bias in the media, a progovernment bias, or a bias in favor of advertisers and business interests. Through his analysis, DiMaggio is the first to systematically examine all of these competing interpretations. He concludes that reporters tailor stories to corporate and government interests, but argues that the ability to "manufacture consent" from the public in favor of these elite views is far from guaranteed. According to DiMaggio, citizens often make use of their own personal experiences and prior attitudes to challenge official narratives.

Contents:

Acknowledgments

Introduction: political officials, the news, and public opinion

The research on media bias

Split party government and reporting on the minimum wage, 1996 and 2007

Unified republican government : debating tax cuts and social security, 2001-2005

Unified democratic government : debating the stimulus and executive pay, 2009

The attack dog bias? : bad news and economic policy, 1996-2009

Media effects on public opinion

Media coverage and its effects: expanded case studies, 1993-2014

Experimental evidence of media effects on public opinion

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781438463469

1438463464

OCLC:

959667443