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.

The public sphere is said to be in crisis. Dumbing down, tabloidisation, infotainment and spin are alleged to contaminate it, adversely affecting the quality of political journalism and of democracy itself. There is a pervasive pessimism about the relationship between the media and democracy, and widespread concern for the future of the political process.
Journalism and Democracy challenges this orthodoxy, arguing instead for an alternative, more optimistic evaluation of the contemporary public sphere and its contribution to the political process. Brian McNair argues not only that...

The public sphere is said to be in crisis. Dumbing down, tabloidisation, infotainment and spin are alleged to contaminate it, adversely affecting the quality of political journalism and of democracy itself. There is a pervasive pessimism about the relationship between the media and democracy, and widespread concern for the future of the political process.
Journalism and Democracy challenges this orthodoxy, arguing instead for an alternative, more optimistic evaluation of the contemporary public sphere and its contribution to the political process. Brian McNair argues not only that...

From advertising to health education campaigns, sex and sexual imagery now permeate every aspect of culture. Striptease Culture explores the 'sexualization' of contemporary life, relating it to wider changes in post-war society.

Striptease Culture is divided in to three sections:

* Part one traces the development of pornography, following its movement from elite to mass culture and the contemporary fascination with porno-chic
* Part two considers popular cultural forms of sexual representation in the media, moving from backlash elements in straight male...

From advertising to health education campaigns, sex and sexual imagery now permeate every aspect of culture. Striptease Culture explores the 'sexualization' of contemporary life, relating it to wider changes in post-war society.

Striptease Culture is divided in to three sections:

* Part one traces the development of pornography, following its movement from elite to mass culture and the contemporary fascination with porno-chic
* Part two considers popular cultural forms of sexual representation in the media, moving from backlash elements in straight male...

"Cultural Chaos" is an ambitious and exciting text, that challenges the existing "control paradigm" and shakes up current ideologies on media. The "control paradigm," one of the foundations of media studies, argues that the media contributes to the maintenance of the social order through the dissemination of dominant ideas and values, and the furthering of the interests of media barons and the ruling elite. McNair contends that the rapid expansion of media channels and the speed with which information is disseminated have contributed to a much more fragmented and complex picture, which is far...

"Cultural Chaos" is an ambitious and exciting text, that challenges the existing "control paradigm" and shakes up current ideologies on media. The "control paradigm," one of the foundations of media studies, argues that the media contributes to the maintenance of the social order through the dissemination of dominant ideas and values, and the furthering of the interests of media barons and the ruling elite. McNair contends that the rapid expansion of media channels and the speed with which information is disseminated have contributed to a much more fragmented and complex picture, which is far...

An Introduction to Political Communication explores the relationship between politics, the media and democracy in the UK, the USA and other contemporary societies. Brian McNair examines how politicians, trade unions, pressure groups, non-governmental organizations and terrorist organizations make use of the media. Separate chapters look at political media and their effects, the work of political advertising, marketing and public relations and the communication practices of organizations at all levels, from grassroots campaigning through to governments and international bodies....

We both love and hate our journalists. They are perceived as sexy and glamorous on the one hand, despicable and sleazy on the other. Opinion polls regularly indicate that we experience a kind of cultural schizophrenia in our relationship to journalists and the news media: sometimes they are viewed as heroes, at other times villains. From Watergate to the fabrication scandals of the 2000s, journalists have risen and fallen in public esteem. In this book, leading journalism studies scholar Brian McNair explores how journalists have been represented through the prism of one of our key cultural...

Porno? Chic examines the relationship between the proliferation of pornography and sexualised culture in the West and social and cultural trends which have advanced the rights of women and homosexuals. Brian McNair addresses this relationship with an analysis of trends in sexualised culture since 2002 linked to a transnational analysis of change in sexual politics and sex/gender relations in a range of societies, from the sexually liberalised societies of advanced capitalism to those in which women and homosexuals remain tightly controlled by authoritarian, patriarchal regimes. In this...