News and News Sources offers a fresh introduction to the sociology of news. It is often suggested that the powerful dominate news agendas. Increasingly however, less powerful groups are employing sophisticated media strategies and new communication technologies to get their message across. The implications of this development are unclear. Do these developments herald a 'democratisation' of news arenas, or will they enable the powerful further strengthen their control over the flow of information to the public domain? News and News Sources: reviews new research in the rapidly expanding field...

The use of illegal drugs is so common that a number of commentators now refer to the 'normalisation' of drug consumption. It is surprising, then, that to date very little academic work has explored drug use as part of contemporary popular culture. This collection of readings will apply an innovatory, multi-disciplinary approach to this theme, combining some of the most recent research on 'the normalisation thesis' with fresh work on the relationship between drug use and popular culture. In drawing upon criminological, sociological and cultural studies approaches, this book will make an...