Politics 231:  Media, Opinion, and Propaganda
LIBRARY RESOURCES

Course description

Modern society depends on mass communication. It is central to the way we elect politicians and to how they govern. It influences how we live and what we think about. It influences what we buy and how our economy performs. It can set our minds at ease or send us to war.

Mass communication developed out of wider political and economic transformation, building institutions and harnessing technologies to become both powerful and pervasive. This course examines the power of mass communication in the hands of media, politicians and the public.

We examine various theories on how public opinion is formed and measured. We scrutinise public opinion polls and how they influence voters, politicians and journalists. There are good and bad polls: we discuss the differences and ask whether media reporting of polls is accurate and informative.

The media is studied from three perspectives (i) media organisations, the role of the journalist and the power of those who own global print and electronic media empires (ii) the relationship between media and the customers to whom they market themselves in increasingly difficult battles for ‘audience share’ or circulation and (iii) the love-hate relationship between media and politicians, in an environment that has become combative and competitive.

We examine propaganda from the early 20th century to the ‘War on terror’. Nazi propaganda, the Cold War and the Vietnam conflict form part of the overview which compares past and present propaganda frameworks together with the rise of the ‘communication specialist’ – the ‘spin doctor’.

‘Spin’ is a word synonymous with political communication and the final part of the course – timed to be as close as possible to the New Zealand General Election and the U.S. presidential election – deals with political marketing. Past strategies and 2008 campaigns will be used to show how parties fashion themselves as products with consumer appeal.

Required reading 

Links are through to the Voyager record. Titles are cited according to the Chicago Manual of Style.  15th ed. 'Bibliography Style'.

The essential readings for this course are in the Coursebook, the Prescribed Text, or in the Short Loan Collection. For items in the Short Loan Collection, including electronic Short Loan material, click here.

Note: Course readings may only be used for the University's educational purposes. You may print a copy for your own use, but you may not make a further copy for any other purpose. You may not copy or distribute any part of the reading to any other person. Failure to comply with these terms may expose you to legal action for copyright infringement and/or disciplinary action by the University.

Prescribed text

• McNair, Brian. Introduction to Political Communication. 3rd ed. New York: Routledge, 2003.

Recommended text

• McQuail, Denis. McQuail's Mass Communication Theory. 5th ed. London: Sage Publications, 2005.

Further reading 

Extended lists of relevant reading, which you should consult for your assignments and exam.

Public opinion
Public opinion polling
The media - general
Mass communication theory
Framing
Encoding and decoding
Active audience research
Limited effects of the mass media
Marketing techniques
Political marketing
Political advertising and campaigning
Professional persuaders and the political process
Government news management
Spinning war/terror
Propaganda
Nazi Germany
The Cold War
Modern propaganda

Public opinion   

• Altheide, David L. Creating Fear: News and the Construction of Crisis, Social Problems and Social Issues. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 2002.
• Alvarez, R. Michael, and John Brehm. Hard Choices, Easy Answers: Values, Information, and American Public Opinion. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2002.
• Artz, Lee, and Yahya R. Kamalipour. Bring 'Em On: Media and Politics in the Iraq War, Communication, Media, and Politics. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2005.
• Ashcroft, Michael A. Smell the Coffee: A Wake-up Call for the Conservative Party; A Study of Public Opinion and the Conservative Party's Campaign for the 2005 General Election. Great Britain: M. Ashcroft, 2005.
• Baker, Robin. Fragile Science: The Reality Behind the Headlines. London: Macmillan, 2001.
• Bardes, Barbara. Public Opinion: Measuring the American Mind. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA. : Thomson/Wadsworth, 2007.
• Barmash, Isadore. The Manipulated Society: How Advertising, Public Relations, and Mass Media Influence Public Opinion, Taste, and Purchases. Washington, D.C.: Beard Books, 1974.
• Baum, Matthew. Soft News Goes to War: Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy in the New Media Age. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003.
• Berinsky, Adam J. Silent Voices: Public Opinion and Political Participation in America. Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2004.
• Bishop, George. The Illusion of Public Opinion: Fact and Artifact in American Public Opinion Polls. Lanham, MD. : Rowman & Littlefield, 2005.
• Bratton, Michael, Robert B. Mattes, and Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi. Public Opinion, Democracy, and Market Reform in Africa, Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
• Brooker, Russell, and Todd Schaefer. Public Opinion in the 21st Century: Let the People Speak? Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006.
• Burrell, Barbara C. Public Opinion, the First Ladyship, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Rev. ed. New York: Routledge, 2001. Available as an e-book via the Library database Ebrary.
• Canes-Wrone, Brandice. Who Leads Whom? Presidents, Policy, and the Public, Studies in Communication, Media, and Public Opinion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006.
• Cantril, Albert Hadley, and Susan Davis Cantril. Reading Mixed Signals: Ambivalence in American Public Opinion About Government. Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson Center Press, 1999.
• Casey, Steven. Cautious Crusade: Franklin D. Roosevelt, American Public Opinion, and the War against Nazi Germany. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Also available as an e-book via the Library database Ebrary.
• Chard, Richard E. The Mediating Effect of Public Opinion on Public Policy: Exploring the Realm of Health Care. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 2004.
• Chomsky, Noam. Media Control : The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda. 2nd ed. New York: Seven Stories Press, 2002.
• Colton, Timothy J. Transitional Citizens: Voters and What Influences Them in the New Russia. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2000.
• Dalton, Russell J. Citizen Politics: Public Opinion and Political Parties in Advanced Industrial Democracies. 4th ed. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2006.
• Dimock, Michael A. “Bush and Public Opinion.” In Considering the Bush Presidency, edited by Gary L. Gregg, and Mark J. Rozell. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
• Doherty, Kate. Constructing an Audience: New Zealand Youth Television. Masters thesis, University of Auckland, 1999.
• Eisinger, Robert M. The Evolution of Presidential Polling. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
• Entman, Robert M. Projections of Power: Framing News, Public Opinion, and U.S. Foreign Policy, Studies in Communication, Media, and Public Opinion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004.
• Erikson, Robert S. American Public Opinion: Its Origin, Contents, and Impact. 7th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005.
• Everts, Philip P., and Pierangelo Isernia. Public Opinion and the International Use of Force. London ; New York: Routledge, 2001.
• Ferguson,-Sherry-Devereaux. Researching the Public Opinion Environment: Theories and Methods. London: Sage, 2000.
• Gaubatz, Kurt Taylor. Elections and War: The Electoral Incentive in the Democratic Politics of War and Peace. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1999. Also available as an e-book via the Library database Ebrary.
• Geer, John Gray. Public Opinion and Polling around the World: A Historical Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA.: ABC-CLIO, 2004. Also available as an e-book via the Library database Ebsco.
• Genovese, Michael A., and Matthew J. Streb. Polls and Politics: The Dilemmas of Democracy. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2004.
• Hacker, Kenneth L. Presidential Candidate Images. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2004.
• Hallam, Julia. Nursing the Image: Media, Culture and Professional Identity. London: Routledge, 2000. Also available as an e-book via the Library database Ebrary.
• Heith, Diane J. Polling to Govern: Public Opinion and Presidential Leadership. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford Law and Politics, 2004.
• ---. Heith,-Diane. (2005) “The White House Public Opinion Apparatus Meets the Anti-Polling President.” In In the Public Domain: Presidents and the Challenges of Public Leadership, edited by Lori Cox Han and Diane J. Heith. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2005.
• Hershberg, Eric, and Kevin W. Moore. Critical Views of September 11: Analyses From Around the World. New York: New Press, 2002.
• Holsti, Ole R. Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy. Rev. ed. Analytical Perspectives on Politics. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2004.
• Kent, Gregory. Framing War and Genocide: British Policy and News Media Reaction to the War in Bosnia. Creskill, N.J.: Hampton Press, 2006.
• Kincheloe, Joe L., and Shirley R. Steinberg. The Miseducation of the West: How Schools and the Media Distort Our Understanding of the Islamic World. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2004.
• Klingemann, Hans-Dieter, Andrea Römmele. Public Information Campaigns & Opinion Research a Handbook for the Student & Practitioner. London: Sage, 2002. Available as an e-book via the Library database Ebrary.
• Korzi, Michael J. A Seat of Popular Leadership: The Presidency, Political Parties, and Democratic Government. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2004.
• Lathrop, Douglas A. The Campaign Continues: How Political Consultants and Campaign Tactics Affect Public Policy. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2003.
• Lavrakas, Paul J., Michael W. Traugott, and Peter V. Miller. Presidential Polls and the News Media. Boulder: Westview Press, 1995.
• Lewis, Jeff. Language Wars: The Role of Media and Culture in Global Terror and Political Violence. London: Pluto, 2005.
• Lewis, Justin. Constructing Public Opinion: How Political Elites Do What They Like and Why We Seem to Go Along with It. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001.
• Lewis, Justin, Sanna Inthorn, and Karin Wahl-Jorgensen. Citizens or Consumers? What the Media Tell Us About Political Participation. Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2005.
• Lippmann, Walter. Public Opinion. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 1997.
• Macbeth, Rose. Creating Public Dialogue and Rejuvenating Citizenship: A Citizens' Jury Examines the Regulation of Standards in New Zealand Television. [Hamilton, N.Z.]: Dept. of Management Communication University of Waikato, 2000.
• Manza, Jeff. Navigating Public Opinion: Polls, Policy, and the Future of American Democracy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
• McCombs, Maxwell E. Setting the Agenda: The Mass Media and Public Opinion. Oxford: Polity, 2004.
• McGarry, Rebecca. The Media and the State-Defined Agenda: An Analysis of the New York Times' Coverage During the Build-up to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. 2004.
• Miller, David. Don't Mention the War: Northern Ireland, Propaganda, and the Media. London: Pluto Press, 1994.
• Mitchell, Jack W. Listener Supported: The Culture and History of Public Radio. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2005.
• Moon, Nick. Opinion Polls: History, Theory and Practice, Political Analyses. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1999.
• Moy, Patricia, and Michael Pfau. With Malice toward All? The Media and Public Confidence in Democratic Institutions. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2000. Also available as an e-book via the Library database Ebrary.
• O'Shaughnessy, Nicholas J. Politics and Propaganda: Weapons of Mass Seduction. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2004.
• Paddock, Troy R. E. A Call to Arms: Propaganda, Public Opinion, and Newspapers in the Great War, Perspectives on the Twentieth Century. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 2004.
• Page, Caroline. U.S. Official Propaganda During the Vietnam War, 1965-1973: The Limits of Persuasion. London: Leicester University Press, 1996.
• Page, Christopher. The Roles of Public Opinion Research in Canadian Government. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2006.
• Pattie, C. J., Patrick Seyd, and Paul Whiteley. Citizenship in Britain: Values, Participation, and Democracy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
• Perlmutter, David D. Policing the Media: Street Cops and Public Perceptions of Law Enforcement. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2000.
• Robinson, Matthew. Mobocracy: How the Media's Obsession with Polling Twists the News, Alters Elections, and Undermines Democracy. Roseville, Calif.: Forum, 2002.
• Rutherford, Paul. Weapons of Mass Persuasion: Marketing the War against Iraq. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2004.
• Saris, Willem E., and Paul M. Sniderman. Studies in Public Opinion: Attitudes, Nonattitudes, Measurement Error, and Change. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2004.
• Schmitz, David F. The Tet Offensive: Politics, War, and Public Opinion. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005.
• Shiraev, Eric, and Richard Sobel. International Public Opinion and the Bosnia Crisis. Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2003.
• ---. People and Their Opinions: Thinking Critically about Public Opinion. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2006.
• Silver, Harold. Higher Education and Opinion Making in Twentieth-Century England. London: Woburn, 2003. Also available as an e-book via the Library database Ebsco.
• Stimson, James A. Tides of Consent: How Public Opinion Shapes American Politics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
• Stonecash, Jeffrey M. Political Polling: Strategic Information in Campaigns. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003.
• Taleb, B. A. The Bewildered Herd: Media Coverage of International Conflicts and Public Opinion. New York: IUniverse, 2004.
• Tang, Wenfang. Public Opinion and Political Change in China. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2005.
• Tatham, Steve. Losing Arab Hearts and Minds: The Coalition, Al-Jazeera and Muslim Public Opinion. London: Hurst, 2006.
• Theriault, Sean M. The Power of the People: Congressional Competition, Public Attention, and Voter Retribution. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2005.
• Turnock, Robert. Interpreting Diana: Television Audiences and the Death of a Princess. London: British Film Institute, 2000.
• Welch, David. Germany, Propaganda and Total War, 1914-1918: The Sins of Omission. London: Athlone Press, 2000.
• ---. The Third Reich: Politics and Propaganda. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2002.
• Wert, Joseph. A Study of Bill Clinton's Presidential Approval Ratings. Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen Press, 2003.
• Western, Jon W. Selling Intervention and War: The Presidency, the Media, and the American Public. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005.
• Wyman, Matthew. Public Opinion in Postcommunist Russia. Houndmills, England: Macmillan Press, 1997.
• Zaller, John R. The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.

Public opinion polling

• Althaus, S. "Opinion Polls, Information Effects, and Political Equality: Exploring Ideological Biases in Collective Opinion." Political Communication 13, no. 1 (1996): 3-21.
• Broughton, David. Public Opinion Polling and Politics in Britain. London: Prentice Hall, 1995.
• Friedenberg, Robert V. Communication Consultants in Political Campaigns: Ballot Box Warriors. Westport, CT.: Praeger, 1997. 31-68. Also available as an e-book via the Library database Ebrary.
• Gallup, Alec M., and Frank Newport, eds. The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion 2006. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007.
• Herbst, Susan. Numbered Voices: How Opinion Polling Has Shaped American Politics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993. 57-68, 153-175.
• Hoek, J.  and P Gendall. "Public Opinion Polling: Supporter or Subverter of Democracy?" In Dangerous Democracy: News Media Politics in New Zealand, edited by Judy McGregor, 210-227.  Palmerston North: Dunmore Press, 1996. 
• Larson, Stephanie Greco. "Public Opinion in Television Election News: Beyond Polls." Political Communication 16, no. 2 (1999): 133-145.
• Lavrakas, Paul J., Michael W. Traugott, and Peter V. Miller, eds. Presidential Polls and the News Media. Boulder: Westview Press, 1995.
• Lipari, Lisbeth. "Polling as Ritual." Journal of Communication 49, no. 1 (Winter 1999): 83-101. Available online via the Library database Health and Medical Complete.
• Moore, David W. The Superpollsters: How they Measure and Manipulate Public Opinion in America. New York: Four Walls Eight Windows, 1992. 125-300.
• Rhee, J.W. "How Polls Drive Campaign Coverage: The Gallup/CNN/USA Today Tracking Poll and USA Today's Coverage of the 1992 Presidential Election." Political Communication 13, no. 2 (1996): 213-229.
• Robinson, Daniel J. Measure of Democracy: Polling, Market Research, and Public Life, 1930-45. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999. 39-63.
• Salmon, Charles T., and Theodore L. Glasser. "The Politics of Polling and the Limits of Consent." In Public Opinion and the Communication of Consent, edited by Theodore L. Glasser and Charles T. Salmon, 437-458. New York: Guildford Press, 1995.
• Suhonen, Pertti. "The Media, Polls and Political Process: The Case of Finland." European Journal of Communication 12, no. 2 (1997): 219-238. Available online via the Library database Sage Full-text Collections.
• Vowles, Jack. "Did the Polls Influence the Vote? A Case Study of the 1999 New Zealand Election." Political Science 54, no. 1 (2002): 67-77.

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