Full Description
Published in 1992, this was the first book to assess the impact of television broadcasting on the House of Commons and its Member's behaviour. It looks at the implications for political journalism as well as broader questions concerning the role of media in a democracy.
Bringing together contributions from senior broadcasters, politicians from various parties and academics and researchers, the book approaches the issues from a range of different perspectives. The first section of the book focuses on broadcasters' accounts of the difficulties involved in establishing the structure and organisation of Parliamentary broadcasting, while the second section gives politicians' own assessments of the consequences of the admission of cameras to the House. The third section looks at the findings of research studies assessing the type of materials broadcast, the impact on political journalism, and audience responses. The fourth section draws comparison with the American, German and European experience of televising democracy.
Contents
Foreword Bernard Weatherill Part 1: Televising the Commons 1. Televising the British House of Commons: Issues and Developments Part 2: The Organization of Commons Television: The Broadcasters' Perspectives 2. 'As Long as a Piece of String': The Role of the Supervisor of Broadcasting 3. Putting the House on Television 4. The Committees and the Cameras: Romeo and Juliet or Cinderella and Prince Charming? Part 3: Assessments: The Politicians' Perspectives 5. Televising the Commons: A Back Bencher's View 6. A Sceptic's Judgement of Televising the Commons 7. Televising the Commons: The View from the Third Party Part 4. Assessments: Academic Investigations 8. Televising the Commons: A Full, Balanced and Fair Account of the Work of the House 9. Audience Reactions to Parliamentary Television 10. Business as Usual: The Impact of Television Coverage on Press Reporting of the Commons 11. Commons Television in the Regions: Creative Broadcasting in a Constrained Environment 12. The Implications of Parliamentary Broadcasting for Politicians Part 5: Assessments: The Experience from Abroad 13. The American Experience: C-SPAN and the US Congress 14. Televising the Bundestag 15. Europe on the Move: The Travelling Parliament Roadshow
