Becoming Citizens In The Age Of Television: How Americans Challenged The Media And Seized...; Author: Thelen, David; Author: Thelan, David; Hardback; Book

Author: Thelen, David; Author: Thelan, David
Hardback; Book; 15 Halftones
258 pages
Published: November 1996
The University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226794717

Thelen argues that the self-referential world of politics and journalism during elections excludes the concerns and voices of Americans, resulting in lower voter turnouts and increased voter apathy. Televised hearings and trials, however -- from O.J. Simpson to Anita Hill vs. Clarence Thomas to Oliver North and Iran-Contra -- have ignited storms of controversy and public debate. Focusing upon the spontaneous, unmediated reactions of American citizens to these events, Thelen discovers a new kind of political participation in which Americans shape their interventions.This text presents an argument about the nature of democracy in American society. It explores a political process it claims is out of touch with everyday needs and concerns of American citizens.