Book Reviews : The Rise and Fall of Western Colonialism: A Historical Survey from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present. By STEWART C. EASTON. (New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1964. Pp. xiii, 402. $7.50.) Puerto Rico: Freedom and Power in the Caribbean. By GORDON K. LEWIS. (New York: Monthly Review Press, 1963. Pp. xii, 626. $10.00.)

• Date: 01 December 1964
• Published date: 01 December 1964
• DOI: 10.1177/106591296401700429
• Author: H.R. Dieterich
• Subject Matter: Articles

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ton Lobbyists, Nimmo, News Sources and News Channels, Bauer et al., American
Business and Public Policy, plus a few other studies dealing with Congress, the public,
and the various interactions between them) attest to the relevance that communica-
tions research has for political science. In the present volume two previously un-
published articles would be particularly useful to the political scientist: Dexter’s &dquo;In-
troduction&dquo; and White’s &dquo;Mass Communication Research: A View in Perspective.&dquo;
Unfortunately, articles with an explicit &dquo;political orientation&dquo; are at a mini-
mum ; but this, of course, was not the authors’ primary objective. There are, how-
ever, several selections that examine the political power exercised by news reporters.
The power of these &dquo;articulators of political events&dquo; lies in their ability to select and
define the &dquo;news&dquo; and it is their decision that comes to the attention of millions of
people. But while the reporter’s decision determines what is communicated to the
public about its government, the manner of its public presentation is often condi-
tioned by other considerations such as the experience and background of the re-
porters, the editors, and the publishers.
In many respects it is not too surprising that Dexter and White do not include
more articles dealing with the political context of communication. A casual review
of voting behavior studies, for example, would reveal that the results of communica-
tion research in this area have been small and piecemeal since the Erie County and
Elmira investigations. For the most part the reinforcing and activating effects of
communications behavior continue to be emphasized while the importance of this
kind of political behavior as a force contributing to attitude formation and to short-
term political change are largely ignored. Moreover, as a form of political activity,
communications behavior is a relatively unexplored phenomena. At...