Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy in the New Media Age
Buch, Englisch, 344 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 559 g
ISBN: 978-0-691-12377-6
Verlag: Princeton University Press
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.
Autoren/Hrsg.
Fachgebiete
- Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Internationale Beziehungen
- Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Kultur Politische Kommunikation und Partizipation
- Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftssektoren & Branchen Medien-, Informations und Kommunikationswirtschaft Radio- und Fernsehindustrie
- Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Mediensoziologie
- Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftssektoren & Branchen Medien-, Informations und Kommunikationswirtschaft Presse & Journalismus
- Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Kultur Politische Soziologie und Psychologie
- Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Kultur Öffentliche Meinung und Umfragen
- Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Politische Soziologie
- Sozialwissenschaften Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaften Medienwissenschaften Medien & Gesellschaft, Medienwirkungsforschung
Weitere Infos & Material
PREFACE ix
CHAPTER ONE: War and Entertainment 1
Appendix. Defining "Attentiveness" 15
CHAPTER TWO: Soft News and the Accidentally Attentive Public 18
Appendix. Locating Changes in Cognitive Costs and Benefits 53
CHAPTER THREE: "I Heard It on Oprah" 57
Appendix. Content Analysis Coding Form 95
CHAPTER FOUR: Bringing War to the Masses 97
Appendix 1. On Using Opinionation as an Indicator of Attentiveness 133
Appendix 2. Variable Definitions 138
Appendix 3. Statistical Tables 144
CHAPTER FIVE: Tuning Out the World Isn't as Easy as It Used to Be 156
Appendix 1. Data Sources and Variable Definitions 195
Appendix 2. Testing for Floor and Ceiling Effects 200
Appendix 3. Comparing Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf War 202
Appendix 4. Statistical Tables 204
CHAPTER SIX: Rallying Round the Water Cooler 212
Appendix 1. Variable Definitions 223
Appendix 2. Statistical Tables 225
CHAPTER SEVEN: Soft News and World Views: Foreign Policy Attitudes of the Inattentive Public 229
Appendix. Statistical Tables 259
CHAPTER EIGHT: Soft News, Public Opinion, and American Foreign Policy: The Good, the Bad, and the Merely Entertaining 269
Appendix. Statistical Tables 292
NOTES 295
REFERENCES 330
INDEX 345
