Public Opinion and the Communication of Consent

Theodore L. Glasser is professor of communication and director of the Graduate Program in Journalism at Stanford University. His work has appeared in a variety of publications, including Critical Studies in Mass Communication, Journal of Communication, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Nieman Reports, The Quill, and The New York Times Book Review. Custodians of Conscience: Investigative Journalism and Public Virtue, written with James Ettema, was published in 1998 by Columbia University Press.

This is an excellent, up-to-date, diverse collection of essays by some of the brightest public opinion scholars, established as well as rising stars. The scope of the book is broad, spanning the history of the role of public opinion from ancient to contemporary times. The perspectives are interdisciplinary, with a felicitous blending of philosophical, political, sociological, psychological, and communication perspectives. Upper-level college students will be well-served by this stimulating collection, which examines the major current issues in public opinion research.--Doris Graber, University of Illinois at Chicago- ....Impressive...warrants attention from scholars and teachers in the fields of both public opinion an political communication. The book has a number of features that commend it to these audiences. --Canadian Journal of Political Science, 4/24/1995ƒƒ Glasser and Salmon have given us a collection that is consistently rich in thoughtful reflections about the status of the field, replete with vivid and well-written reviews of the dominant agreements and disagreements in an area of central importance to modern politics. --American Political Science Review, 4/24/1995ƒƒ ....A valuable work....For the student, this book provides the theoretical foundations necessary for any full understanding of public opinion. --Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, 4/24/1995ƒƒ ...The book is an excellent tool for the public relations practitioner and academician and I have found it an important addition to my professional library. --Public Relations Review, 4/24/1995

• Introduction: The State of the Art I THE NATURE OF PUBLIC OPINION 1. Historical Tensions in the Concept of Public Opinion 2. Public Opinion and Rationality 3. Levels of Analysis in Public Opinion Research II THE INSTITUTION OF PUBLIC OPINION 4. On the Disappearance of Groups: 19th- and Early 20th-Century Conceptions of Public Opinion 5. The Industry of Public Opinion 6. The Press and the Illusion of Public Opinion: The Strange Case of Ronald Reagan's "Popularity" 7. Propaganda and the Technological System III SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTEXTS FOR PUBLIC OPINION 8. Social-Psychological Perspectives on Public Opinion 9. The Cognitive Revolution in Public Opinion and Communication Research 10. Opinions, Perception, and Social Reality IV. THE MEDIA OF COMMUNICATION AND THE OPINIONS OF PUBLICS 11. Issues in the News and the Public Agenda: The Agenda-Setting Tradition 13. Origins and Consequences of Mediated Public Opinion 14. Making News and Manufacturing Consent: The Journalistic Narrative and Its Audience V. PUBLIC OPINION AND THE PROMISE OF DEMOCRACY 15. The Press, Public Opinion, and Public Discourse 16. The Influence of Rationality Claims on Public Opinion and Policy 17. Public Opinion as Public Judgment 18. The Politics of Polling and the Limits of Consent