ABSTRACT
The relationship between the media and political power structures in society, and the changing nature of political communication are immense and rapidly changing objects of enquiry that have benefited from increasing scrutiny and comparative analysis by political science and media scholars alike. Drawing on these resources, this chapter describes key features of the dynamic and reciprocal relationship between media and politics. The first part examines the relationship between political systems and media systems, drawing upon and assessing Hallin and Mancini’s (2004a) comparative analysis. Part two examines key trends and variations in political communication and the mediated communication of politics.
