Communication and Society Series

News and Journalism in the UK is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the political, economic and regulatory environments of press and broadcast journalism in Britain and Northern Ireland.

Surveying the industry in a period of radical economic and technological change, Brian McNair examines the main trends in journalistic media in the last two decades and assesses the challenges and future of the industry in the new millennium.

Integrating both academic and journalistic perspectives on journalism, topics addressed in this revised and updated edition include:

the rise of online journalism and the impact of blogging on mainstream journalism
the emergence of 24 hour news channels in the UK
the role and impact of journalism, with reference to issues such as democracy, health scares and the war on terror
trends in media ownership and editorial allegiances
'Tabloidisation', Americanisation and the supposed 'dumbing down' of journalistic standards
the implications of devolution for regional journalists.

Images of the Enemy

by Brian McNair

Published 4 August 1988

This book should be of interest to students and lecturers in media, communications studies and politics.

An Introduction to Political Communication

by Brian McNair

Published 15 February 2007

An Introduction to Political Communication introduces students to the complex relationship between politics, the media and democracy in the United Kingdom, United States and other contemporary societies. Brian McNair examines how politicians, trade unions, pressure groups, NGOs and terrorist organisations make use of the media.

Individual chapters look at political media and their effects, the work of political advertising, marketing and public relations, and the communicative practices of organizations at all levels, from grass-root campaigning through to governments and international bodies.

This fifth edition has been revised and updated to include:

the 2008 US presidential election, and the early years of Barack Obama's term
the MPs' expenses scandal in Britain, and the 2010 UK election campaign
the growing role of bloggers and online pundits such as Guido Fawkes in the political agenda setting process
the emergence of social media platforms such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, and their destabiising impact on the management of political crises all over the world, including the Iranian pro-reform protests of July 2009 and the Israeli atack on the anti-blockade flotilla of May 2010
the growing power of Wikileaks and other online information sources to challenge state control of classified information

Glasnost, Perestroika and the Soviet Media

by Brian McNair

Published 25 July 1991

The reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev have brought tumultuous change to political, social and economic life in the Soviet Union. But how have these changes affected Soviet press and television reporting? Glasnost, Perestroika and the Soviet Media examines the changing role of Soviet journalism from its theoretical origins in the writings of Marx and Lenin to the new freedoms of the Gorbachev era. The book includes detailed analysis of contemporary Soviet media output, as well as interviews with Soviet journalists.