In this provocative book John Downing explores the many roles of the media within the fundamental political, economic and cultural changes that took place during the turbulence in Eastern Europe between 1980 and 1995. He examines the central elements underlying these changes: power, the state, societal change, the economy, institutionalized racism, ethnic insurgency, secrecy and surveillance. Internationalizing Media Theory critically evaluates media theories in relation to political and economic transitions, and challenges political science approaches for their failure to address vital issues in media and communication. Using a comparative and international focus, Downing analyzes the changes in Russia, Poland and H

The explosion of transnational information flows, made possible by new technologies and institutional changes (economic, political and legal) has profoundly affected the study of global media. At the same time, the globalization of media combined with the globalization of higher education means that the research and teaching of the subject faces immediate and profound challenges, not only as the subject of enquiry but also as the means by which researchers and students undertake their studies. Edited by a leading scholar of global communication, this collection of essays by internationally-acclaimed scholars from around the world aims to stimulate a debate about the imperatives for internationalizing media studies by broadening its remit, including innovative research methodologies, taking account of regional and national specificities and pedagogic necessities warranted by the changing profile of students and researchers and the unprecedented growth of media in the non-Western world. Transnational in its perspectives, Internationalizing Media Studies is a much-needed guide to the internationalization of media and its study in a global context.

International communication as a field of inquiry is, in fact, not very “internationalized.” Rather, it has been taken as a conceptual extension or empirical application of U.S. communication, and much of the world outside the West has been socialized to adopt truncated versions of Pax Americana’s notion of international communication. At stake is the “subject position” of academic and cultural inquirers: Who gets to ask what kind of questions? It is important to note that the quest to establish universally valid “laws” of human society with little regard for cultural values and variations seems to be running out of steam. Many lines of intellectual development are reckoning with the important dimensions of empathetic understanding and subjective consciousness. In Internationalizing "International Communication," Lee and others argue that we must reject both America-writ-large views of the world and self-defeating mirror images that reject anything American or Western on the grounds of cultural incompatibility or even cultural superiority. The point of departure for internationalizing “international communication” must be precisely the opposite of parochialism – namely, a spirit of cosmopolitanism. Scholars worldwide have a moral responsibility to foster global visions and mutual understanding, which forms, metaphorically, symphonic harmony made of cacophonic sounds.

This volume provides a comprehensive examination of key issues regarding global communication, focusing particularly on international news and strategic communication. It addresses those news factors that influence the newsworthiness of international events, providing a synthesis of both theoretical and practical studies that highlight the complicated nature of the international news selection process. It also deals with international news coverage, presenting research on the cross-national and cross-cultural nature of media coverage of global events, in the interdisciplinary context of research on political communication, war coverage, new technologies and online communication. The work concludes with a focus on global strategic communications: in the age of globalization, global economies and cross-national media ownership, chapters here provide readers with some of the most up-to-date research on international advertising, public relations and other key issues in international communications. With contributions from many of the leading scholars in the field of international media communication research, this collection presents a valuable resource for advancing knowledge and understanding of the complicated international communication phenomenon. It will be of value to upper-level undergraduates and graduate students in mass media and communication programs, and to scholars whose research focuses on global communication research.

International Media Studies is a bold introduction to thefield that focuses on a de-centering of media epistemology torepresent a more thorough world-view. A comprehensive textbook exploring the current state of mediastudies as it is being practised across the world Takes discussions about media studies beyond other textbooks,by situating the subject firmly in an international contextappropriate to the globalized, 21st century Surveys our reception of a wide variety of media content andformats including television, magazines, fiction, newspapers, andpopular music Considers both theoretical and much-needed ethnographicperspectives on media studies Showcases global and local media patterns in a variety ofcountries around the world, including examples from Asia, Africa,and Latin America

International Media Research offers a rigorous and critical review of key approaches and concerns that have recently defined the field of media research. In this clearly argued collection of essays, the contributors analyze and reflect upon dominant themes and debates that have made media research an increasingly important element of cultural theory. The volume begins with a critical evaluation of the work of the leading media scholar, Elihu Katz, and continues with an exploration of the relationship between media studies and adjacent disciplines: cultural studies and gender and sexuality. Contributors drawn from Britain, America, Canada and Belgium consider the relationships between media research and media policy in different national and international contexts. Focusing on the European Union, East-Central Europe, North America and Latin America, chapters assess the impact of social, economic and political circumstances on policy debates and the shaping of the research agenda. The final chapter adopts a transatlantic perspective in tracing and analysing the history of the media's role in reporting war.

A comparative approach to media and communication research plays an important, if not indispensable, role in achieving a core mission of researchers: to delimit the generality and specificity of media and communication theories, enabling researchers to more readily identify the influence of social, political and cultural contexts in shaping media and communication phenomena. To de-Westernize and internationalize media and communication studies has thus become the way forward for overcoming the parochialism of mainstream media and communication studies. This volume reflects on what comparative media and communication research has achieved or failed to achieve, the epistemological and theoretical challenges it is facing, and the new directions in which it should be heading.

This collection of essays by leading scholars from around the world aims to stimulate a debate about the imperatives for internationalizing media studies, and provides much-needed material on the dynamics of the media studies field in a global context. Lively and current case studies are included within the essays to exemplify the main arguments.

A broad and accessible introduction to national and transnational media Transnational Media: Concepts and Cases provides a clear and engaging overview of media communication from a global and a region-based perspective. Rather than focusing on just complex theories and industry-specific analyses, this unique book offers an inclusive, comparative approach to both journalism and entertainment media—introducing readers to the essential concepts, systems, transnational influences, and power dynamics that shape global media flow. Broad coverage of different media forms from Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Oceania offers country-based and transnational perspectives while highlighting examples of media trends in television, radio, film, journalism, social media, music, and others. Promoting a balanced, multipolar exploration of transnational media, this innovative book discusses topics such as media concentration, the cultural, political, and economic impact of media, and the primary centers of new and traditional media activities. Chapters organized by geographic region offer instructive pedagogical features—including case studies and essays, and illustrations, maps and charts—that strengthen understanding of distinctive and emerging practices in the production, distribution, and consumption of media products. Explores a wide range of global media topics, infrastructures, cultures, and political-economic climates Written in an engaging, relatable, and easy to understand style Covers major aspects of journalism and various forms of entertainment media Organized by regions of the world to reflect a global perspective Includes newly-written case studies by international scholars from each region Designed for undergraduate and graduate courses in comparative media analysis, international media and communication, and related areas of study, Transnational Media: Concepts and Cases is an indispensable resource for colleges and universities that are internationalizing their curriculum to meet the needs of an increasing globalized world.

Globalization and the resulting internationalization of universities is driving change in teaching, learning, and what it means to be educated. This book provides exemplars of how the Communication discipline and curriculum are responding to the demands of globalization and contributing to the internationalization of higher education. Communication as a discipline provides a strong theoretical and methodological framework for exploring the benefits, challenges and meanings of globalization. The goal of this book, therefore, is to facilitate internationalization of the communication discipline in an era of globalization. Section one discusses the theoretical perspectives of globalism, internationalization, and the current state of the Communication discipline and curriculum. Section two offers a comprehensive understanding of the role, ways, and impact of internationalizing teaching, learning, and research in diverse areas of study in Communication, including travel programs and initiatives to bring internationalization to the classroom. The pieces in this section will include research-based articles, case studies, analytical reviews that exam key questions about the field, and themed pieces for dialogue/debate on current and future teaching and learning issues related to internationalizing the Communication discipline/curriculum. Section three provides an extensive sampling of materials and resources for immediate use in internationalization in communication studies; sample syllabi, activities, examples, and readings will be included. In sum, our book is designed to enable communication curriculum and communication courses in other disciplines to be internationalized and to offer different approaches to enable faculty, students, and administrators to incorporate and experience an internationalized curriculum regardless of time and financial limitations. This book is notable as a professional development resource for individuals both inside and outside the communication discipline who wish to incorporate a global perspective into their research and classrooms.