For years, communications analysts and other social scientists have explored the impact of the mass media on public opinion. Other political scientists have examined concurrently the public opinion—foreign policy linkage. This article unites these distinct literatures in an attempt to understand the relationship between the mass media, public opinion, and U.S. foreign policy. Theories and research are classified according to the particular “flow of influence” among the three variables. This classification scheme will assist scholars and practitioners in understanding the complex nature of the public's impact on the U.S. foreign policy-making process.
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