Page 2 - Critical Political Economy of the Media

Critical Political Economy of the Media

How the media are organised and funded is central to understanding their role in
society. Critical Political Economy of the Media provides a clear, comprehensive and
insightful introduction to the political economic analysis of contemporary media.
Jonathan Hardy undertakes a critical survey of political economy scholarship
encompassing worldwide literature, issues and debates, and relationships with
other academic approaches. He assesses different ways of making sense of media
convergence and digitalisation, media power and influence, and transformations
across communication markets. Many of the problems of the media that prompted
critical political economy research remain salient, he argues, but the approach
must continue to adapt to new conditions and challenges. Hardy advances the
case for a revitalised critical media studies for the twenty-first century.
Topics covered include:

media ownership and financing
news and entertainment
convergence and the Internet
media globalisation
advertising and media
alternative media
media policy and regulation.

Introducing key concepts and research, this book explains how political economy
can assist students, researchers and citizens to investigate and address vital
questions about the media today.

Jonathan Hardy is Reader in Media Studies at the University of East London
and teaches at Goldsmiths College, University of London. He is the author of
Western Media Systems (2008) and Cross-Media Promotion (2010).