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Abstract

This study of the media and election 2004 is drawn from the author’s Media Spectacle and the Crisis of Democracy(2005) that argues that several convergent trends intersecting U.S. media and politics have seriously undermined U.S. democracy: the corporate control of mainstream media, which biases dominant media toward conservativism and profit; an implosion of information and entertainment and rise of a culture of media spectacle, which makes politics a form of entertainment; the rise of a right-wing Republican media propaganda and attack apparatus, which systematically deploys lies and deception to advance the agenda of conservative groups and interests; and an unparalleled assault on the press and manipulation of media by the Bush administration.

Keywords

Bush administration corporate media crisis of democracy media spectacle politics of lying

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The Media and Election 2004

Abstract

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