a new Foreword by Doris Graber. The book has been thoroughly revised and updated, introducing up-to-the-minute case studies, the latest research, and the rise of a digital information system without changing its lively writing style or its provocative point of view. This favorite of both instructors and students is a behind-the-scenes tour of communication in American politics, from the newsroom to the war room to the living room. The core question explored in this book is: How well does the news, as the core of the national political information system, serve the needs of democracy? In exploring this question, we examine how various political actors-from presidents and members of Congress, to interest organizations and citizen-activists-try to get their messages into the news.

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