The Political Economy of Communication provides a thorough coverage of an important area of communication studies: the political economy approach to media.This highly successful text has been thoroughly updated, restructured and rewritten in this new edition, clearly demonstrating how power operates across all media, from newspapers to Facebook, and how media power intersects with globalization, social class, race, gender and surveillance. Key FeaturesProvides a summary of the field of political economy, looking at its history and major schools of thoughtHighlights the work of key figures and differences that established the divide between economics and political economyExplains the necessity of media students to understand the general political economy tradition and the way in which it informs the political economy of communicationAddresses the interdisciplinary nature of the field, with its links to economics, geography and sociology, and cultural and policy studiesThis book offers a unique overview of the field of political economy of communication and will be of use to upper level undergraduate and graduate students of media and communication.