Remote & controlled
Subtitle: media politics in a cynical age
By: Matthew Robert Kerbel.
Publisher: Westview Press
Published: 1995
Place of publication: Boulder
Language: eng
Number of pages: 170
Subjects: Mass media -- Political aspects -- United States; United States -- Politics and government -- 20th century
Other titles: Remote and controlled
Description: Remote and Controlled examines the issue of widespread cynicism in an era of abundant information, asking whether it is possible to consume a steady diet of mainstream media and still understand and respect the political process. Starting with central examples of television's political coverage and the media's focus on the president, the author explores a variety of media - from newspapers and radio to MTV and computer networks - and political events and institutions.

Against a historical backdrop of political, technological, and institutional change, the text raises critical questions for a society plugged into Rush, Oprah, and USA Today: How do the media both magnify and undermine the president? Can televised town meetings replace the real thing? How do politicians seek to control the flow of information, and what do the media do about it? Does the information explosion provide greater diversity or simply greater convenience?

In the process, the author sheds light on the ultimate dilemma of whether or not an informed public will participate in a system in which campaigns are portrayed as if they were war, policymaking is depicted as if it were a campaign, and none of the participants - reporters included - appear particularly noble or worthy.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-161) and index.