Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- Linkage models, public opinion, and media effect -- Professional public relations and political power -- Causal factors and media influence in voters' choice -- Presidential manipulation and reporters' bias : the eternal conflict -- Th e Watergate scandal : the opinion-policy process exposed -- Blacks and the mass media -- The media and society : theories of media effects -- The mass media and political change : an empirical test -- The wired nation : social and political implications -- Some concluding thoughts and new research avenues.