Media and Political Conflict
Media and Political Conflict
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The news media have become the central arena for political conflicts today. It is, therefore, not surprising that the role of the news media in political conflicts has received a good deal of public attention in recent years. Media and Political Conflict provides readers with an understanding of the ways in which news media do and do not become active participants in these conflicts. The author's 'political contest' model provides an alternative approach to this important issue. The best way to understand the role of the news media in politics, he argues, is to view the competition over the news media as part of a larger and more significant contest for political control. The book is divided into two parts. While the first is devoted to developing the theoretical model, the second employs this approach to analyse the role of the news media in three conflicts: the Gulf war, the Palestinian intifada, and the attempt by the Israeli right wing to derail the Israeli-Palestinian peace accord.
- Was one of the first books to examine the various roles of the news media in political conflicts, arguing that the influence cuts both ways
- An original account which will be of interest to students of media studies and journalism, as well as politics and sociology
- Analysis is supported by three fascinating illustrations: the Gulf war, the Palestinian intifada, and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process
Reviews & endorsements
"This book contributes a level of increased complexity to media analysis in political conflict that is both worthwhile and needed." Allen W. Palmer, Journal of International Communication
"Wolfsfeld does an outstanding job of illuminating the complicated and subtle dynamics of the relationship between the mass media and the various actors who attempt to use the media to further their interpretation of events. The cases used focus on the Middle East but the theoretical argument is relevant for increasing our understanding of the role of the media in any large-scale conflict situation." William Gamson, Boston College
"It is clearly written and developed and provides a welter of original empirical data derived from interviews and content and discourse analysis to support its argument that competition over the news media is part of a more general contest for political control...This would be an excellent book in any course on research methods in media studies, and I recommend it particularly to PhD students as a conceptually rich and methodologically sound study, that kind of marriage becoming increasingly hard to find." Political Communication
"Gadi Wolfsfeld proposes an original 'political contest' model for understanding news media roles in political conflict. This is welcome for giving full weight to the political factors that may affect the strategies of parties to conflict and their prospects for success. It is also refreshing for its emphasis on the variability of roles that news media can play in such conflicts. Supported by relevant case studies, the book held my interest throughout." Jay G. Blumler, Emeritus Professor, University of Leeds, University of Maryland
"This study presents a useful model in the ongoing debate over the role of the media in Middle East conflicts." Bulletin of Regional Cooperation in the Middle East
"This study presents a useful model in the ongoing debate over the role of the media in Middle East conflicts." Bulletin of Regional Cooperation in the Middle East
"This is a solid overview of the dynamics involved in the news media's coverage of political conflict. The agenda is ambitious, but its diverse scope allows the author to illustrate how common media processes operate in differing political contexts." David Croteau, Contemporary Sociology
"The importance of Media and Political Conflict lies in contextualizing the role of the news media in unequal political conflicts; it draws attention to the complex dynamics of the political process and the struggle for power among the various policy elite." Fawaz A. Gerges, Journal of Palestine Studies
"Our understanding of the role of the media in political communications, of the variations which can emerge, and of the politics of conflicts in the Middle East is much enhanced by Wolfsfeld's detailed analysis." Int. J. Middle East Stud.
"The book merits wide and careful attention among scholars of poltical communication and political participation." Robert M. Entman, American Poltical Science Review
Product details
- Published: April 1997
- Format: Paperback
- ISBN: 9780521589673
- Length: 272 pages
- Dimensions: 229 × 153 × 18 mm
- Weight: 0.435kg
- Contains: 8 b/w illus. 3 tables
- Availability: Available
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Part I. The Rules of Combat:
- 1. The structural dimension: the struggle over access
- 2. The cultural dimension: the struggle over meaning
- 3. Media influence and political outcomes
- Part II. The Contests:
- 4. Political movements and media access: the struggle against the Oslo Accord
- 5. Competing frames of the Oslo Accord: a chance for peace or a national disaster?
- 6. Controlling the media in insurrections and wars: the intifada and the Gulf war
- 7. The contest over media frames in the intifada: David versus Goliath
- 8. The cultural struggle over the Gulf war: Iraqi aggression or American imperialism?
- Part III. Conclusion:
- 9. The multi-purpose arena.
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