The Media and The Public: "Them" and "Us" in Media Discourse

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction. Them and Us: Meet Joe the Plumber 1

1 Imagining the Public 8

2 Public Spheres 29

3 The Managed Public 45

4 Counterpublics and Alternative Media 72

5 Virtual Publicness 93

6 Fractured Publics, Contested Publicness 123

Notes 156

Bibliography 169

Index 179