Framing Public Life: Perspectives on Media and Our Understanding of the Social World(Routledge Communication Series)

This collection was assembled in response to the growing interest in understanding media power using the concept of framing. It contains two synthesis review chapters by Reese and Gandy--as prologue and epilogue, respectively. Reese presents his own organizing "framework" for framing research and provides an illustrative case analysis. Gandy uses the chapters in this volume and others in the literature to provide a synthetic overview and to launch his critique of the subfield, in addition to offering some challenges for future efforts. Between these offerings, chapters are organized into three parts. Part I includes a diverse set of theoretical and methodological perspectives on framing. Part II emphasizes specific cases and empirical efforts by framing analysts, many of whom have extensive research programs in the area. Part III takes the framing paradigm into innovative subject areas--exploring the implications of framing for visual issues, international news flows, and the new media technology. Each chapter pushes the field toward the horizons of scholarship in media framing, providing scholars and students with explicit and useful guidelines, resources, and support for their own journeys along these routes.

Table of Contents:

Contents: W.A. Gamson, Foreword. Preface. S.D. Reese, O.H. Gandy, Jr., A.E. Grant, Introduction. S.D. Reese, Prologue--Framing Public Life: A Bridging Model for Media Research. Part I:Theoretical and Measurement Approaches.Z. Pan, G. Kosicki, Framing as a Strategic Action in Public Deliberation. M. McCombs, S.I. Ghanem, The Convergence of Agenda Setting and Framing. T.M. Maher, Framing: An Emerging Paradigm or a Phase of Agenda Setting? J.W. Tankard, Jr., The Empirical Approach to the Study of Media Framing. M.M. Miller, B.P. Riechert, The Spiral of Opportunity and Frame Resonance: Mapping the Issue Cycle in News and Public Discourse. F.D. Durham, Breaching Powerful Boundaries: A Postmodern Critique of Framing. Part II:Cases--Observations From the Field.J.K. Hertog, D.M. McLeod, A Multiperspectival Approach to Framing Analysis: A Field Guide. D.L. Dickerson, Framing "Political Correctness": The New York Times' Tale of Two Professors. P. Bantimaroudis, H. Ban, Covering the Crisis in Somalia: Framing Choices by The New York Times and The Manchester Guardian.R.S. Fuglsang, Framing the Motorcycle Outlaw. L.M. ZochWhat's Really Important Here? Media Self-Coverage in the Susan Smith Murder Trial. E.L. Wiggins, Frames of Conviction: The Intersection of Social Frameworks and Standards of Appraisal in Letters to the Editor Regarding a Lesbian Commitment Ceremony. P. Messaris, L. Abraham, The Role of Images in Framing News Stories. D.V. Shah, D. Domke, D.B. Wackman, The Effects of Value-Framing on Political Judgment and Reasoning. T.E. Nelson, E.A. Willey, Issue Frames That Strike a Value Balance: A Political Psychology Perspective. Part III:The New Media Landscape.E.S. Fredin, Frame Breaking and Creativity: A Frame Database for Hypermedia News. E.P. Engel, Connectivity and Continuity: Influences of the Digital Realm on the Visual Information Structures of Print. J.V. Pavlik, News Framing and New Media: Digital Tools to Re-engage an Alienated Citizenry. E.A. Mabry, Textual Framing as a Communication Climate Factor in Online Groups. C.A. Paterson, The Transference of Frames in Global Television. O.H. Gandy, Jr., Epilogue--Framing at the Horizon: A Retrospective Assessment.

"Reese, Gandy, and Grant have done a wonderful job of putting together a selection of chapters that fit nicely into three basic themes: theoretical and methodological issues, concerning framing, case studies of framing, and framing within new media....I clearly think this is a book worth reading if you are interested in framing effects in the media....very strong on sociological approaches to framing."
—Journal of Communication

"The case-study section is particularly rich in topics and approaches...and its studies would serve as a fruitful point of departure for many theoretical and methodological discussions....a much-needed compilation of the current state of communication's thought regarding framing.....The book would be an excellent addition to graduate theory-building courses, and it should be on the bookshelf of anyone who considers him- or herself a framing scholar."
—Public Opinion Quarterly

"Reese's wide-ranging and provocative introductory overview offers a definition of framing that emphasizes the organizing and structuring functions and the shared, persistent, and symbolic character of frames....has much to offer scholars and graduate students in political and mass communication, and in other fields as well."
—Political Communication