Based on the most-up-to-date empirical research and latest theorising in the field, Modern Political Communication is required reading for anyone who wants a fuller understanding of the transformation of political communication and the repercussions for democracy.

Preface and Acknowledgements Introduction Modern Political Communication Part 1: Exclusion, Intimacy and the Drive for Popularity 1 Exclusive Campaign Communication: the Hidden Costs of Data Driven Electioneering The rise of the floating voter Market research and the electorate Targeted communication The cost of campaign communication The included and the excluded 2 Governing and the Drive for Effective Promotion The all encompassing promotional culture Does promotion translate into popularity? The unpredictable nature of governing The rise of metacoverage Selling the removal of Saddam 3 Intimate Politicians: Mediated Visibility and the Erosion of Privacy Mediated publicness: the rise of the recognisable politician Intimacy: going behind the scenes Disclosing and exposing the personal Part 2: News and the Politics of Market Driven Media 4 News Organisations and the Audience for News News audiences as citizens Reconceptualising the role of news audiences in a period of uncertainty Serving the voter? 5 The Media and the Populist Political Impulse Political populism Media and political populism Talk radio: the voice of the people or channels of resentment? The press and reactionary populism Part 3: Communicative Disengagement and the Exercise of Political Voice 6 Turning On, Tuning Out? A diverse but unequal citizenry The interested and the disinterested Consumption gaps The vicious circle 7 The Rise of Self-Expressive Politics: Exercising Political Voice in a Digital Age Opportunities for self-expression ‘Let us know what you think’: encouraging attitude expression The communicating public? The loudest and quietest voices Conclusion 8 Political Communication in an Uncertain and Unequal Age Bibliography Index

Political communication systems in advanced industrial democracies are in a state of flux. The traditional political communication system, with its limited and regulated media channels, stable patterns of media consumption, and identifiable party loyalty, which characterized much of the twentieth century, is giving way to one that is less ordered and structured. This book provides an accessible and comprehensive account of how governments, political parties, established media organizations and citizen audiences, in the US and the UK, are adapting to this systemic change. Against the background of audience fragmentation and widening social and political divisions, James Stanyer provides a critical appraisal of the evolving relationship of political communicators and their audience. He argues that such divisions influence citizen communicative engagement and are increasingly exacerbated by the strategic activities of political advocates and media organizations. Modern Political Communication is required reading for anyone who wants a fuller understanding of the transformation of political communication and the repercussions for democracy.