Unique in approach and coverage, this major new text provides a detailed overview of the modern media, bringing together an impressive list of leading scholars who examine recent developments and trends in a fresh and innovative way. Current media texts have ignored the fact that the subject has a broad cross-disciplinary appeal and have tended to concentrate on a theory or issue, or adopt a purely descriptive approach. Briggs and Cobley is an exciting new reader that presents the whole spectrum of Media Studies in one volume and is unique is combining contributions from academics, policy-makers and practitioners.