There now exists a complex web of relations between "the public" and "the media", where the former perform a variety of roles gifted by the latter. This book intends to map the intricate and varied ways in which "the public" are, described in news stories; identified as news sources; used in opinion polls; allowed public ventilation through readers' letters; and selected to speak in public forums such as talk-shows and radio phone-ins. By exploring these strands of the public-media relation, we hope to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the role of the public in mediated discourse.We will focus on the politicized discourses of news and current affairs genres in print, broadcast and electronic formats as well as some of the more populist political genres such as "shock-jock radio". Of particular interest in this book is an exploration of the processes of identification and selection which take place within media and by which means only certain publics, certain issues, certain perspectives are actively sought out and allowed articulation.If we have moved beyond a simplistic consideration of "the man on the Clapham Omnibus" or "disgusted from Tunbridge Wells" as barometers of a generalized public opinion in our more (allegedly) sophisticated twenty-first century thinking, are contemporary renditions of 'the public', as articulated in news media, any more democratic, any more representative of the 'ordinary' citizen? While "the public" are accorded considerable power at specific points in the politico-demographic calendar, such as elections, how meaningful are their/our opinions in shaping policy and really making a difference?The increased levels of interactivity which allow us to watch game-shows 24/7 and vote off Big Brother contestants via our PC has recently been signaled as evidence of our (potential) interest in electronic voting because of its ease. But there are competing agendas in terms of how the media frame the public: as hapless idiots in thrall to low-grade, dumbed down entertainment; as seniors who are extremely web-savvy and use email to harangue their local politicians; as citizens marching on the White House to protest against war-mongering; as individuals in need of government intervention to halt their slide to obesity; as ordinary women and men standing for public office.ScopeVox Populi will be principally engaged with mapping the ways in which the public/media relationship has developed over time through a comprehensive discussion of the primary literature around key aspects of that relationship such as opinion polls and audience participation broadcasting.

It will also explore more contemporary manifestations of the public's involvement in the mediated political process, such as online voting, blogs, readers' letters, phone-ins and online consultations. In order to produce a lively and timely read, we will draw on findings from our own (unpublished) primary research to more securely ground the theoretical debates with which we engage throughout the book. Taking a case study approach, the book will use both primary and secondary research to ground the more theoretical discussions contained in each chapter. The broad scope of the book will be global, especially given the reach of online news channels and newspapers, although our primary studies will mostly be drawn from our work on the UK and US news scenes.