Government Communication Cases and Challenges

It has been about time that somebody maps the field of government communication, a field with ever increasing scientific and political importance. This book does the job and it does it theoretically as well as with a plethora of empirical data from no less than 15 countries around the world. For years to come this book will be the first stop for scholars and practitioners seeking information on what is out there and how it can be normatively assessed on blurring lines between information and advertising or spin and substance. -- Wolfgang Donsbach, Professor and Founding Director, Department of Media and Communication at Dresden University of Technology, Germany This is a much needed and deeply thoughtful book about Government Communication. The authors have brought together a carefully selected group of comparative case studies from around the world using the Freedom House Index as the basis for choice and analysis. The result is a rich picture of the purpose, structure and process of Government Communication in different settings, or to use Canel and Sanders words, 'what it is' and 'what it does'. This seminal text plugs a gap in our knowledge and understanding in a growing area of study and as such is essential reading for both academics and practitioners. -- Anne Gregory, Professor and Director, Centre for Public Relations Studies, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK This tour of how different governments communicate to press and publics is led by top scholars in the field. The authors have created a valuable sourcebook on an important and changing topic. -- Lance Bennett, Professor of Political Science and Ruddick C. Lawrence Professor of Communication, and Director for the Center for Communication & Civic Engagement, University of Washington, US As somebody who is sometimes described as a 'spin doctor,' it is a pleasure to read a book on government communication that depicts leaders and citizenry in a relationship, rather than simply manipulation from the top. Using rich case studies in fifteen countries, Karen Sanders and Maria Jose Canel analyze the different ways governments cope with growing uncertainty in the world of politics and media and the importance of strategy and perspective over tactics and rapid response. -- Stanley Greenberg, Chairman and CEO of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research