Encyclopedia of Political Communication

With the presidential election in full swing, what could be timelier than an encyclopedia devoted to modern political communication? This set contains nearly 600 entries for major theories, concepts, terms, events, and individuals involved in both the practice and study of political communication—primarily in the U.S. since the 1950s (and earlier when the topic warrants it). The scope goes beyond electoral politics and considers “the role of communication in governing,” including the operation of legislative, judicial, and executive bodies as well as political parties, political action committees, interest groups, and other participants. Blogs, blogging; Cartoons, political; Cultural imperialism; Nightline; O’Reilly, Bill; State of the Union Address; Terrorism and the media; and White House press corps are examples of the topics covered. The contributors are all scholars in the field, primarily from institutions in the U.S. Each entry includes a well-written descriptive essay and, in most cases, further readings and cross-references. Length varies from a few paragraphs up to 5,000 words for Political advertising, Media bias, and a few other topics. The entries are up-to-date, as is evident when scanning the biographies of presidential contenders Clinton, McCain, and Obama. Navigation aids include an alphabetical listing of each entry, a topical reader’s guide, and an index. Encyclopedia of Political Communication would be a useful addition to any academic library as well as any larger public library.