Includes bibliographical references and index.

Ch. 1. Public Opinion, the Press, and Public Policy: An Introduction / J. David Kennamer -- Ch. 2. The Public's Knowledge of Politics / Michaele X. Delli Carpini and Scott Keeter -- Ch. 3. Effective Public Opinion / James B. Lemert -- Ch. 4. Interest Groups in the News / Lucig Danielian -- Ch. 5. Who Sets the Media Agenda? The Ability of Policymakers to Determine News Decisions /
Dan Berkowitz -- Ch. 6. The News Media and Public Policy Agendas / David Pritchard -- Ch. 7. Marching to the Police and Court Beats: The Media-Source Relationship in Framing Criminal Justice Policy / Jack C. Doppelt -- Ch. 8. Reporting on the Public Mind / Leonard Tipton -- Ch. 9. The Spiral of Silence: Linking Individual and Society Through Communication / Charles T. Salmon and Chi-Yung Moh -- Ch. 10. Policymakers and the Third-Person Effect / Dominic L. Lasorsa.

This contributors' volume examines the ways in which public opinion affects public policy via the news media. Insofar as the media represent or characterize the public, they represent or frame policy questions and decisions. They convey--accurately or inaccurately--the overall climate of public opinion to policymakers, and are themselves used as evidence of public opinion by policymakers. This work draws together theory and original research concerning the role of the press in shaping public policy and links the fields of journalism, mass communications, and political science. This work will be of interest to scholars and practitioners in journalism, communications studies, public policy, government, and political science.