Robert S. Fortner is Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at the American University in Bulgaria. He is the author or editor of seven books and almost 100 essays.

P. Mark Fackler is Professor of Communication at Calvin College. He has written extensively on topics relating to communication and journalism ethics.

The Handbook of Media and Mass Communication Theory presents a comprehensive collection of original essays that focus on all aspects of current and classic theories and practices relating to media and mass communication.
* Focuses on all aspects of current and classic theories and practices relating to media and mass communication
* Includes essays from a variety of global contexts, from Asia and the Middle East to the Americas
* Gives niche theories new life in several essays that use them to illuminate their application in specific contexts
* Features coverage of a wide variety of theoretical perspectives
* Pays close attention to the use of theory in understanding new communication contexts, such as social media

Volume I
Notes on Contributors ix
Introduction xix
Part I Classical Theories of Media and the Press 1
1 Classical Liberal Theory in a Digital World 3
Stephen J. A. Ward
2 The Origins of Media Theory: An Alternative View 22
Robert S. Fortner
3 Political Economic Theory and Research: Conceptual Foundations and Current Trends 37
Vincent Mosco
4 Semiotics and the Media 56
Bronwen Martin
5 Symbolic Interactionism and the Media 74
Norman K. Denzin
6 Patterns in the Use of Theory in Media Effects Research 95
W. James Potter
7 Cultivation Theory: Its History, Current Status, and Future Directions 115
Daniel Romer, Patrick Jamieson, Amy Bleakley, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson
8 Media Ecology: Contexts, Concepts, and Currents 137
Casey Man Kong Lum
9 Dramatistic Theory: A Burkeian Approach to the 2004 Madrid Terrorist Attacks 154
Cristina Zurutuza-Muñoz
10 Ritual Theory and the Media 172
John J. Pauly
11 Jacques Ellul and the Nature of Propaganda in the Media 190
Randal Marlin
12 Lewis Mumford: Technics, Civilization, and Media Theory 210
Robert S. Fortner
13 The Impact of Ethics on Media and Press Theory 225
Clifford G. Christians
Part II Audiences, Social Construction, and Social Control 249
14 Agenda-Setting Influence of the Media in the Public Sphere 251
Maxwell E. McCombs and Lei Guo
15 The Uses and Gratifications (U&G) Approach as a Lens for Studying Social Media Practice 269
Anabel Quan-Haase and Alyson L. Young
16 The Media's Impact on Perceptions of Political Polarization 287
Jeffrey Crouch and Mark J. Rozell
17 The Social-Cultural Construction of News: From Doing Work to Making Meanings 301
Daniel A. Berkowitz and Zhengjia Liu
18 Media, Civil Society, and the Public Sphere: History and Current Thinking 314
Robert S. Fortner, Ann Snesareva, and Ksenia Tsitovich
19 The Genesis of Social Responsibility Theory: William Ernest Hocking and Positive Freedom 333
Clifford G. Christians and P. Mark Fackler
Part III New Approaches and Reconsiderations 357
20 Feminist Media Theory 359
Linda Steiner
21 Media, Communication, and Postcolonial Theory 380
Shanti Kumar
22 Reconceptualizing "Cultural Imperialism" in the Current Era of Globalization 400
Mel van Elteren
23 Al Jazeera Remaps Global News Flows 420
Catherine Cassara
24 Nonviolence as a Communication Strategy: An Introduction to the Rhetoric of Peacebuilding 440
Ellen W. Gorsevski
25 Globalization and Cultural Identities: A Contradiction in Terms? 462
Ana Cristina Correia Gil
26 Cultivation Theory in the Twenty-First Century 480
Michael Morgan, James Shanahan, and Nancy Signorielli
27 Media Theory and Media Policy: Worlds Apart 498
Cees J. Hamelink
Volume II
Part IV Media Theory and New Technologies 511
28 The Philosophy of Technology and Communication Systems 513
Clifford G. Christians
29 Theoretical Perspectives on the Social Construction of Technology 535
Robert S. Fortner and Darya V. Yanitskaya
30 Dangerous Liaisons: Media Gaming and Violence 552
Ran Wei and Brett A. Borton
31 Empowerment and Online Social Networking 572
Jarice Hanson
32 Global Communication Divides and Equal Rights to Communicate 591
Carolyn A. Lin
33 Citizenship and Consumption: Media Theory in the Age of Twitter 612
Kevin Cummings and Cynthia Gottshall
34 Round Pegs in Square Holes: Is Mass Communication Theory a Useful Tool in Conducting Internet Research? 629
Christine Ogan
35 How Global Is the Internet? Reflections on Economic, Cultural, and Political Dimensions of the Networked "Global Village" 645
Kai Hafez
Part V Theory Case Studies 665
36 Nationalism and Imperialism 667
Mingsheng Li
37 Media Control in China 690
Zheng Li
38 The Construction of National Image in the Media and the Management of Intercultural Conflicts 708
Xiaodong Dai and Guo-Ming Chen
39 Play Theory and Public Media: A Case Study in Kenya Editorial Cartoons 726
P. Mark Fackler and Levi Obonyo
40 Contemporary Chinese Communication Scholarship: An Emerging Alternative Paradigm 741
Wenshan Jia, Hailong Liu, Runze Wang, and Xinchuan Liu
41 Al Jazeera and Dr. Laura: Is a Global Islamic Reformist Media Ethics Theory Possible? 766
Haydar Badawi Sadig
42 Media Ethics Theories in Africa 781
Herman Wasserman
43 The Efficacy of Censorship as a Response to Terrorism 798
Kasun Ubayasiri
44 Blending East-West Philosophies to Meta-Theorize Mediatization and Revise the News Paradigm 819
Shelton A. Gunaratne
45 Understanding Mass Media: A Buddhist Viewpoint 844
Wimal Dissanayake
46 Jewish Communication Theory: Biblical Law and Contemporary Media Practice 859
Yoel Cohen
47 God Still Speaks: A Christian Theory of Communication 874
P. Mark Fackler
48 Theorizing about the Press in Post-Soviet Societies 888
Igor E. Klyukanov and Galina V. Sinekopova
49 Internet and Political Activism in Post-Revolutionary Iran 907
Babak Rahimi
Part VI Conclusion 929
50 Looking Ahead to a New Generation of Media and Mass Communication Theory 931
P. Mark Fackler and Robert S. Fortner
Index 948