Des Freedman is a Professor of Media and Communications at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is the author of The Politics of Media Policy, co-author (with James Curran and Natalie Fenton) of Misunderstanding the Internet, co-editor (with Michael Bailey) of The Assault on Universities: A Manifesto for Resistance and co-editor (with Daya Thussu) of Media and Terrorism: Global Perspectives. He is particularly interested in issues of media power and media reform. He is the chair of the UK Media Reform Coalition and on the national council of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom. He is an editor of the journal Global Media and Communication and a member of the Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre.

Over the past decade Des Freedman has established himself as one of the preeminent media scholars in the world. The Contradictions of Media Power is his finest work to date, demonstrating Freedman's superior command of political and social theory. Each page bristles with keen and original insights. The book is absolutely mandatory reading for anyone seeking a critical analysis of media and society.

• Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGEMENTSCHAPTER 1: APPROACHES TO MEDIA POWERELEMENTS OF THE PUZZLEPOLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF MEDIA POWERFOUR PARADIGMS OF MEDIA POWERCONCLUSIONCHAPTER 2: ELITES, OWNERSHIP AND MEDIA POWERPOWER ELITE THEORY AND THE MEDIAMEDIA POWER ELITES AND NEOLIBERALISMOWNERSHIP AND MEDIA POWERCONCLUSIONCHAPTER 3: MEDIA POLICY AND POWERPOLICY ACTIVISM IN NEOLIBERAL TIMESPOWER, DECISION-MAKING AND THE POLICY PROCESSMEDIA POLICY SILENCESSilences in Pluralism Policy DebatesSilences in Net Neutrality DebatesCONCLUSIONCHAPTER 4: POWER SHIFTS AND SOCIAL MEDIAA RADICAL REDISTRIBUTION OF POWER?DECENTRALIZATION: THE RISE OF THE ‘POWER MOSAIC’DISINTERMEDIATION: POWER TO THE PEOPLE?‘IT’S CALLED CAPITALISM’ – ERIC SCHMIDT, CHAIRMAN OF GOOGLECHAPTER 5: CHALLENGING MEDIA POWERMEDIA, CONTRADICTION AND RESISTANCETHE DOMINANCE/RESISTANCE MODEL IN ACTION: THE WAR IN IRAQTHE POLITICS OF MEDIA REFORMCONCLUSIONCHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION – MEDIA POWER PARADIGMS REVISITEDBOOK REFERENCES

Des Freedman is a Professor of Media and Communications at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is the author of The Politics of Media Policy, co-author (with James Curran and Natalie Fenton) of Misunderstanding the Internet, co-editor (with Michael Bailey) of The Assault on Universities: A Manifesto for Resistance and co-editor (with Daya Thussu) of Media and Terrorism: Global Perspectives. He is particularly interested in issues of media power and media reform. He is the chair of the UK Media Reform Coalition and on the national council of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom. He is an editor of the journal Global Media and Communication and a member of the Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre.

Over the past decade Des Freedman has established himself as one of the preeminent media scholars in the world. The Contradictions of Media Power is his finest work to date, demonstrating Freedman's superior command of political and social theory. Each page bristles with keen and original insights. The book is absolutely mandatory reading for anyone seeking a critical analysis of media and society.

• Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGEMENTSCHAPTER 1: APPROACHES TO MEDIA POWERELEMENTS OF THE PUZZLEPOLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF MEDIA POWERFOUR PARADIGMS OF MEDIA POWERCONCLUSIONCHAPTER 2: ELITES, OWNERSHIP AND MEDIA POWERPOWER ELITE THEORY AND THE MEDIAMEDIA POWER ELITES AND NEOLIBERALISMOWNERSHIP AND MEDIA POWERCONCLUSIONCHAPTER 3: MEDIA POLICY AND POWERPOLICY ACTIVISM IN NEOLIBERAL TIMESPOWER, DECISION-MAKING AND THE POLICY PROCESSMEDIA POLICY SILENCESSilences in Pluralism Policy DebatesSilences in Net Neutrality DebatesCONCLUSIONCHAPTER 4: POWER SHIFTS AND SOCIAL MEDIAA RADICAL REDISTRIBUTION OF POWER?DECENTRALIZATION: THE RISE OF THE ‘POWER MOSAIC’DISINTERMEDIATION: POWER TO THE PEOPLE?‘IT’S CALLED CAPITALISM’ – ERIC SCHMIDT, CHAIRMAN OF GOOGLECHAPTER 5: CHALLENGING MEDIA POWERMEDIA, CONTRADICTION AND RESISTANCETHE DOMINANCE/RESISTANCE MODEL IN ACTION: THE WAR IN IRAQTHE POLITICS OF MEDIA REFORMCONCLUSIONCHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION – MEDIA POWER PARADIGMS REVISITEDBOOK REFERENCES