Paradox of Democracy

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20-50
A01=Sean Illing
A01=Zac Gershberg
Age Group_Uncategorized
Age Group_Uncategorized
Author_Sean Illing
Author_Zac Gershberg
automatic-update
bias
biased
broadcast
cancel culture
Category1=Non-Fiction
Category=JBCT
Category=JFD
Category=JPHV
Category=KNTJ
Category=KNTP2
communications
COP=United States
cultural study
Delivery_Delivery within 10-20 working days
democracy
democratic government
digital content
disruptions
eq_business-finance-law
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
fascism
free speech
freedom
governing ideas
historical context
history
internet
journalism
journalists
Language_English
liberal
liberalism
media studies
misinformation
news
newspapers
PA=Available
philosophy
political science
politics
populism
Price_€20 to €50
PS=Active
public opinion
representation
rhetoric
softlaunch
television

Product details

  • ISBN 9780226681702
  • Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
  • Publication Date: 16 Jun 2022
  • Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
  • Publication City/Country: US
  • Product Form: Hardback
  • Language: English
Delivery/Collection within 10-20 working days

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A thought-provoking history of communications that challenges ideas about freedom of speech and democracy. At the heart of democracy lies a contradiction that cannot be resolved, one that has affected free societies since their advent: Though freedom of speech and media has always been a necessary condition of democracy, that very freedom is also its greatest threat. When new forms of communications arrive, they often bolster the practices of democratic politics. But the more accessible the media of a society, the more susceptible that society is to demagoguery, distraction, and spectacle. Tracing the history of media disruption and the various responses to it over time, Zac Gershberg and Sean Illing reveal how these changes have challenged democracy-often with unsettling effects. The Paradox of Democracy captures the deep connection between communication and political culture, from the ancient art of rhetoric and the revolutionary role of newspapers to liberal broadcast media and the toxic misinformation of the digital public sphere. With clear-eyed analysis, Gershberg and Illing show that our contemporary debates over media, populism, and cancel culture are not too different from democratic cultural experiences of the past. As we grapple with a fast-changing, hyper-digital world, they prove democracy is always perched precipitously on a razor's edge, now as ever before.
Zac Gershberg is associate professor of journalism and media studies at Idaho State University. Sean Illing is a senior writer at Vox and the host of its Conversations podcast.