In the thousand-channel universe, politicians must find innovative ways to reach citizens via television. Viewership for news and current affairs television programs has dropped dramatically. Meanwhile, the rise of programming that blends information with entertainment – infotainment – on Canadian television, especially in Quebec, has provided an opportunity for today’s politicians to use it to their advantage. But their appearances on these programs also fuel concerns over the declining authority of journalism in the public sphere. Breaking News? traces the development of infotainment and exposes the impact of these kinds of programs on modern political communication. Frdrick Bastien lays out the issues raised by the eroding influence of existing news gatekeepers and the implications of infotainment for politicians, journalists, and citizens, while arguing that infotainment ultimately makes a positive contribution to democratic life by piquing the audience’s interest in public affairs and motivating it to pay more attention to political news in general.
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Breaking News?: Politics, Journalism, and Infotainment on Quebec Television
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Breaking News?: Politics, Journalism, and Infotainment on Quebec Television
Frdrick Bastien is a researcher of political communication, journalism, and methodology. Previously a professor of public communication at Universit Laval, he is now an associate professor of political science at Universit de Montral. He is also associate director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship and a member of the Groupe de recherche en communication politique. He was the lead editor of Les Qubcois aux urnes: les partis, les mdias et les citoyens en campagne. The French version of this book, published by the Presses de l’Universit Laval in 2013, was shortlisted for the Prix francophone from the Canadian Political Science Association and the Canada Prize in Social Sciences from the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences.
Infotainment shows are often derided for contributing to the decline of serious news. In this fascinating study, Frdrick Bastien challenges our perceptions of these shows and their influence on Quebec’s media landscape. As a result, this book makes for an excellent resource for anyone interested in television, political communication, and Canada’s media industries. - Ira Wagman, associate professor of communication studies, School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University
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