Media and Political Conflict: News from the Middle East

Description

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 a new 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.

'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 'There is plenty to admire and a few things to take issue with in Wolfsfeld's well-written and accessible book, something which the author's modest claims and thorough scholarship should well withstand ... it is a thought-provoking analysis of the media's role in various conflicts around the world.' Media, Culture and Society ' ... this is an excellent and well written book which provides scholars with a much needed and fruitful model for the analysis of news media in political conflict.' Karin Aggestam, The International Journal of Conflict Management 'The book merits wide and careful attention among scholars of political communication and political participation.' American Political Science Review