Muffled Echoes - Oliver North and the Politics of Public Opinion

Ten years ago the Iran-Contra affair swept the headlines as the nation watched an indignant Lt. Col. Oliver North testify before a congressional committee. Although polls showed that most Americans were critical of North's actions and ambivalent toward the man himself, media coverage left the opposite impression, with its broadcasts of "Ollie-for-president" rallies and stories of congressional aides overwhelmed by a torrent of pro-North mail.
In this book, public opinion is more than the sum of a pollster's tally; instead, Amy Fried defines it as a political tool, integral to the political process, where vested interests compete to legitimize their interpretation of the public voice. Fried explores the construction, interpretation, and uses of public opinion, raising important questions about the media and the role of special interest groups in determining policy.

Über den Autor / die Autorin

Amy Fried

Zusammenfassung

This text looks at opinion polls, the news media, special interest groups, and interviews with congressional members, using the Iran-Contra hearing as a case study. It explores the construction, interpretation and uses of public opinion and questions the media's role in forming public policy.

Produktdetails

• Autoren: Amy Fried, Professor Amy Fried, Fried Amy
• Verlag: Columbia University Press
• Sprache: Englisch
• Produktform: Fester Einband
• Erschienen: 31.07.1997
• EAN: 9780231108201
• ISBN: 978-0-231-10820-1
• Seiten: 336
• Serien: Power, Conflict, and Democracy: American Politics into the 21st Century; Power, Conflict, & Democracy: Power, Conflict, and Democracy: American Politics Into the 21st Century
• Themen: Sachbuch > Geschichte > Sonstiges; Sozialwissenschaften, Recht,Wirtschaft > Medien, Kommunikation > Medienwissenschaft; USA, Media Studies, POLITICAL SCIENCE / History & Theory, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies, Political science & theory, United States of America, USA, Political science and theory, Public Opinion & Polls, Public opinion and polls, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Opinion Polling