Political scientists and media specialists accept the commonplace assumption that the mass media have a profound and direct impact on virtually every aspect of the political process, yet remarkably few systematic studies examining the relationship between media and policy exist. "Media and Public Policy" brings together 15 prominent scholars who focus analytic attention on the underexamined connection between the media and public policymaking.

Part I, which addresses theoretical perspectives, includes a chapter on media impact on the political status quo by leading expert Doris A....