Blackwell Reference Online

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Political communication is an interdisciplinary field with roots stretching back to Aristotle and Plato, who debated the meaning of democracy and society (→  Political Communication ; Rhetoric, Greek ). Modern political communication research incorporates not only the field of communication, including →  Journalism and rhetoric, but also political science, sociology, history, psychology, geography, and others (→  Rhetorical Studies ). Political communication can mean many things. Put simply, it is the “role of communication in the political process” (→  Chaffee 1975 , 15). A more precise description, used by the Political Communication section of the American Political Science Association ( http://www.apsanet.org ), offers that political communication is “the creation, shaping, dissemination, processing and effects of information within the political system – both domestic and international – whether by governments, other institutions, groups or individuals.” Furthermore, political communication scholars explore media in the political process, new media technologies, and societal- and individual-level effects on political processes. For example, Tekwani (2006) examined gaudy billboards as political communication in India, and Hanna (1992) explored the role of rock music in the political disintegration of East Germany. The term “popular” has both positive and negative connotations. ... log in or subscribe to read full text