Media Today: An Introduction to Mass Communication

Media Today puts students at the center of the profound changes in the twenty-first century media world – from digital convergence to media ownership – and gives them the skills to think critically about what these changes mean for the role of media in their lives.


Media Today, Fourth Edition is built around four key concepts:

A media systems approach allows students to understand the interconnected cultural, political, and economic forces that shape media they encounter every day.
Unique insights into media trends give students an insider's perspective on how media industries are responding to changes from globalization to social networking.
Focus on digital convergence shows in each chapter how digital media is transforming traditional mass media such as newspapers, magazines, and television.
A media literacy goal encourages and builds critical skills to make students more informed and engaged citizens in our media-driven society.
Completely revised with updated examples, new case studies, and new online video resources, the 4th edition of Media Today connects the latest trends, debates, and technologies to the history of media, highlighting the impact and meaning of today's changes to the media landscape, especially how traditional industries have blurred together with digital convergence. Additional learning resources including a new set of online video resources, interactive quizzes, study resources, and instructor guides are available on the free companion website at: www.routledge.com/textbooks/mediatoday4e.

Joseph Turow is Robert Lewis Shayon Professor of Communication and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication. Professor Turow is an elected Fellow of the International Communication Association and was presented with a Distinguished Scholar Award by the National Communication Assn. A 2005 New York Times Magazine article referred to Professor Turow as "probably the reigning academic expert on media fragmentation." He has authored nine books, edited five books, and written more than 100 articles on mass media industries.

I. Understanding the Nature of Mass Media 1. Understanding Mass Media and the Importance of Media Literacy 2. Making Sense of the Media Business 3. Controls on Media Content: Government Regulation, Self-Regulation, and Ethics 4. Making Sense of Research on Media Effects and Media Culture II. Media Giants and Cross-Media Activities 5. A World of Blurred Media Boundaries 6. Understanding the Strategies of Media Giants III. The Print Media 7. The Book Industry 8. The Newspaper Industry 9. The Magazine Industry IV. The Electronic Media 10. The Recording Industry 11. The Radio Industry 12. The Movie Industry 13. The Television Industry 14. The Internet and Video Game Industries V. Advertising and Public Relations 15. The Advertising Industry 16. The Public Relations Industry