The Media and the Public explores the ways a range of media have constructed and represented the public. The authors argue that the public is a product of representation, invoked through processes of mediation that are dominated by political, institutional, economic and cultural forces.

Acknowledgments vii Introduction. Them and Us: Meet Joe the Plumber 1 1 Imagining the Public 8 2 Public Spheres 29 3 The Managed Public 45 4 Counterpublics and Alternative Media 72 5 Virtual Publicness 93 6 Fractured Publics, Contested Publicness 123 Notes 156 Bibliography 169 Index 179

The Media and the Public "Them" and "Us" in Media Discourse Stephen Coleman, Karen Ross "Stephen Coleman and Karen Ross inspire us to critically reflect on prevailing assumptions we hold about the media and its publics. Their compelling analysis –written in a clear and accessible form – charts new directions for understanding the dynamics of contemporary democracy." Peter Dahlgren, Lund University The Media and the Public explores the ways a range of media, from the press to television to the Internet, has constructed and represented the public. Stephen Coleman and Karen Ross argue that the public is always a product of representation, that there is no a priori public that is captured or recorded by the media. Instead, the public is invoked through processes of mediation that are dominated by political, institutional, economic, and cultural forces. Twentyfirst century publics witness themselves more than any public in history – in vox pops, phone-ins, studio-audience discussions, soap opera dramatizations, reality TV formats, and beyond – but they do not control their own image. Mediated publics are vulnerable to misrepresentation by media images that fail to reflect their diversity and complexity. Through an exploration of citizen journalism, street newspapers, participatory media, online public consultations, and the blogosphere, Stephen Coleman and Karen Ross identify a more comprehensive and diverse set of public voices who are using media outlets to speak for themselves.

"Stephen Coleman and Karen Ross inspire us to reflect critically on prevailing assumptions we hold about the media and its publics. Their compelling analysis – written in a clear and accessible – charts new directions for understanding the dynamics of contemporary democracy." Peter Dahlgren, Lund University