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Synopsis
Gender is one of the primary fault
lines running through contemporary American politics. The
political agenda has become deeply polarized by such issues as
affirmative action, abortion rights, and welfare reform. In
short, gender politics, once regarded as marginal, has emerged
as one of the core dividing lines in identifying politicians,
parties, issues, and voters in America.
Not surprising, the way media covers gender politics has long
been a matter of contention. The issue at the heart of this
book is whether, as critics suggest, media coverage of women
in America reinforces rather than challenges the dominant
culture, thereby contributing towards women's marginalization
in public life.
A collection of original essays by twenty-one top academics
and journalists is the first book to systematically examine
the impact of the media on women's power in America. It
focuses on how the role of American women as citizens,
political leaders, and feminist activists has been influenced
by the media, for better or worse, in recent decades. Using
multi-method approaches involving surveys, content analysis,
focus groups, interviews, and personal experience, the authors
analyze the role of women as journalists, the impact of
campaign coverage, images of women in power, and coverage of
women's movements and feminist policy issues.
Women, Media, and Politics
will be an important resource for both experts and informed
readers interested in contemporary political and social
debate.
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