Fundamental questions are asked in this book about the nature of what appears on screen and how it variously engages, informs and entertains viewers. After setting out some of the distinctive features of the medium, illustrated by examples, the question of the likely and possible political consequences of these features is directly addressed. Chapters on the specific but changing forms of news, documentary and advertising provide a detailed analysis of some of television's most controversial ways of addressing the viewer variously as citizen and consumer.