This book discusses two related themes concerning the role and processes of mass communication in society. The first deals with questions regarding the power of the media: how should it be defined? how is it wielded and by whom? are previous approaches and answers to such questions adequate? The second theme revolves around the divisions between the liberal pluralist and Marxist approaches to the analysis of the nature of the media. These divisions have, in recent years, been fundamental to the debate concerning the understanding of the role of mass communication, and the examination of them in this book will challenge the reader to look more closely at a number of assumptions that have long been taken for granted.

本书讨论了关于大众传播在社会中的作用和过程的两个相关主题。第一个主题涉及有关媒体权力的问题：应该如何定义它？它是如何行使的，由谁行使？第二个主题是围绕着自由多元主义和马克思主义对媒体性质的分析方法之间的分歧。近年来，这些分歧是有关理解大众传播作用的辩论的基础，本书对这些分歧的研究将挑战读者更仔细地审视一些长期以来被视为理所当然的假设。