`[A] very useful collection of essays.... More thematically coherent than many such volumes.... The book is quite topical and readable, considering its depth; most of the authors avoid turgid jargon or intellectual dandyism.... Not just required reading for academic specialists - it is also accessible to motivated journalists and senior undergraduates. It definitely has a place as a supplementary text in courses on media/ideology, socio-political conflict, and social movements′ - Canadian Journal of Communication`Required reading for anyone with an eye on the future of government... the volume breathes new life into the debate emerging in the wake of events in France in May 1968′ - Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management`Gives the reader a wealth of thought-provoking analyses of the concept of crisis and the relationship of the concept to society, to the governing of the body politic and to the mass media.... This book will help all students of crises, politics and the media gain greater insights′ - Canadian Journal of Political Science`An interesting and, on occasion, important discussion of the crucial relationship between media and democracy′ - Political Studies

• Introduction - Marc Raboy and Bernard DagenaisMedia and the Politics of CrisisThe Crisis of the Sovereign State - John KeaneMedia and the State in Periods of Crisis - Mustapha MasmoudiTelevision, the Crisis of Democracy and the Persian Gulf War - Douglas KellnerFraming the Crisis in Eastern Europe - Julian Halliday, Sue Curry Jansen and James SchneiderMedia and the Terminal Crisis of Communism in Poland - Karol JakubowiczViolence and Terror in and by the Media - George GerbnerCrisis as Spectacle - Peter A BruckTabloid News and the Politics of OutrageMedia in Crises - Bernard DagenaisObservers, Actors or Scapegoats?Media and the Invisible Crisis of Everyday Life - Marc RaboyMedia and the Commodification of Crisis - Lorna RothOn New Uses of Media in Time of Crisis - Armand Mattelart and Mich[gr]ele Mattelart