Public Communication in Freefall: Revisiting the work of Jay Blumler

Many people are talking and writing about the crisis of political democracy, fewer are talking about the role of the media in relation to that crisis. While many scholars have responded in an ad hoc way to the various crises of populism, polarisation, mis and disinformation, this book shows how Jay Blumler’s scholarship provides us with the tools and framework to research and understand the changing communication environment systemically and rigorously. The book demonstrates the applicability and relevance of Blumler’s work in explicating the current crisis of communication and the need for fresh and radical thinking in tackling it. The book's breadth and depth of chapters from a broad range of scholars from the East and West, ranging from long-standing contributors to the field to those in the early stages of their career, combine to produce a thoughtful and provocative invitation to reflect upon the concept of a ‘crisis of public communication’. We expect this book to become a major source for political communication students and scholars.