What is media studies? -- The context of media and media studies -- How to use this book -- What then will this book enable you to do? -- Getting started - just do it -- Suggested reading sources -- ch. 1 How do media make meaning? -- Thinking about media meanings -- Thinking about media as texts -- Analytical tools: rhetoric -- Analytical tools: semiology -- Summary -- Further reading -- ch. 2 Organising meaning in media texts: genre and narrative -- Asking questions about genre and narrative -- Studying genre -- Narrative, narratology and genre study -- Bringing genre and narrative together -- Summary -- Further reading -- ch. 3 Media representations -- Asking questions about representations -- Conceptualising and defining representation -- Media professionals and the 'politics' of representation -- Method: content analysis -- Representations of individuality: stars, personalities, celebrities -- Summary -- Further reading --

ch. 4 Reality media -- Thinking about 'reality media' -- Conceptualising reality and realism -- Dominant practices and forms of reality media -- Reality, truth, freedom, ethics and responsibility -- Summary -- Further reading -- Appendix: Analysing texts -- ch. 5 The business of media -- Thinking about media businesses -- Investigating media businesses -- Political economy of media -- Organisational studies -- The culture of production - media professionals, creative workers -- Media business in the digital age -- Summary -- Further reading -- ch. 6 Media regulation and policy -- Thinking about media regulation and policy -- Regulation and public policy -- Policy and regulation analysis -- Issues in policy and regulation -- Summary -- Further reading -- ch. 7 Media production In a global age -- Thinking about global media production -- What's global about global media? -- Studying the impact of global media - further themes and ideas -- Summary --

Further reading -- ch. 8 Producing audiences: what do media do to people? -- Thinking about audiences -- What is an audience? -- Propaganda and manipulating audiences -- Media effects and moral panics -- From effects to influence -- Summary -- Further reading -- ch. 9 Investigating audiences: what do people do with media? -- Thinking about what audiences do with media texts -- Identifying audience activity -- From 'effects' to uses and gratifications -- Discovering the audience: media, context and meaning -- Researching media audiences -- Ethics and audience research -- Summary.