About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Description
In the thousand-channel universe, politicians must find innovative ways to reach citizens via television. Viewership for news and current affairs television programs has dropped dramatically. Meanwhile, the rise of programming that blends information with entertainment – infotainment – on French Canadian television has provided new opportunities for today’s politicians. Breaking News? traces the development of infotainment and exposes the impact of these kinds of programs on modern political communication. Though not without its controversies, infotainment ultimately makes a positive contribution to democratic life by piquing the audience’s interest in public affairs and motivating it to pay more attention to political news in general.
Contributor Notes
Frédérick Bastien is a researcher of political communication, journalism, and methodology. Previously a professor of public communication at Université Laval, he is now an associate professor of political science at Université de Montréal. He is also associate director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship and a member of the Groupe de recherche en communication politique. He was the lead editor of Les Québécois aux urnes: les partis, les médias et les citoyens en campagne. The French version of this book, published by the Presses de l’Université Laval in 2013, was shortlisted for the Prix francophone from the Canadian Political Science Association and the Canada Prize in Social Sciences from the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences.
