Soundbitten: The Perils of Media-Centered Political Activism

by Sarah Sobieraj

Overview

There is an elaborate and often invisible carnival that emerges alongside presidential campaigns as innumerable activist groups attempt to press their issues into mainstream political discourse. Sarah Sobieraj’s fascinating ethnographic portrait of fifty diverse organizations over the course of two campaign cycles reveals that while most activist groups equate political success with media success and channel their energies accordingly, their efforts fail to generate news coverage and come with deleterious consequences. Sobieraj shows that activists’ impact on public political debates is minimal, and carefully unravels the ways in which their all-consuming media work and unrelenting public relations approach undermine their ability to communicate with pedestrians, comes at the expense of other political activities, and perhaps most perniciously, damages the groups themselves.
Weaving together fieldwork, news analysis, and in-depth interviews with activists and journalists, Soundbitten illuminates the relationship between news and activist organizations. This captivating portrait of activism in the United States lays bare the challenges faced by outsiders struggling to be heard in a mass media dominated public sphere that proves exclusionary and shows that media-centrism is not only ineffective, but also damaging to group life. Soundbitten reveals why media-centered activism so often fails, what activist groups lose in the process, and why we should all be concerned.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814783863
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	06/13/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	234
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Sarah Sobieraj is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Tufts University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments1 What If the Whole World Isn’t Watching? Activism, Presidential Campaigns, and the Thorny Struggle for Visibility2 Campaign Events as Catalysts: The Politicization of Public Space3 Streets as Stage: The Many Faces of Publicity 4 “Apparently They Don’t Like Succinct and Articulate”: Journalists, Activists, and the Battle over News5 Wait, Isn’t That a Bird in Your Hand? Pushing Bystanders out of the Way in an Effort to Reach “the Public”6 What About Us? Bittersweet Residues of Mobilization  Epilogue: Web 2.0 and Election 2008 Appendix: Methods NotesReferences Index About the Author 

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Using her own fieldwork observations as a baseline, Sobieraj shows how activist groups' expectations of media coverage often fail to pan out. In this respect, the author provides a contemporary update to the conclusions of earlier scholars..."-S.B. Lichtman,Choice

"Soundbitten is an astute, engagingly written study of the dynamics and costs of media obsession by activist groups. Sarah Sobieraj busts the cliches of both movement organizations and sociologists with aplomb."-Todd Gitlin,Columbia University

"Sarah Sobieraj's Soundbitten is important, insightful, and disturbing. With gripping detail, she shows how activist groups try to get some of the spotlight that surrounds political conventions, and use mass media to project an image of themselves and their concerns. It's an uphill struggle, and media are far more willing to cover colorful events than cogent arguments. What's worse, in trying to cultivate the spotlight, organizations undermine their own capacity to promote meaningful political debate. Seeking legitimation from mainstream media, Sobieraj shows, seems like the unavoidable—and almost impossible— struggle for activists."-David S. Meyer,University of California, Irvine

"Drawing on her extensive participant observation of social-movement organizations during several presidential campaigns, Sarah Sobieraj demonstrates how the pervasive mediatization of politics has jeopardized the ability of dissenting groups to engage in public discourse and so has altered the very fabric of both social movements and the civil society that the news media claim to inform."-Gaye Tuchman,author of Making News: A Study in the Construction of Reality

“Soundbitten is a well-written and engaging book that both you and your students will enjoy. Sobieraj’s writing is accessible and the book is rife with interesting examples and colorful pictures that make the events outside of the conventions come alive... In short, Sobieraj outlines new avenues for research on civil society and the public sphere and we ignore her findings at our own peril.”-Deana A. Rohlinger,Contemporary Sociology

Editorial Reviews

"Sarah Sobieraj's book is an important contribution but not only to literature on social movements and media, but also to activists in the field trying to affect change."

Mobilization - Erin Evans

"Using her own fieldwork observations asa baseline, Sobieraj shows how activist groups' expectations of media coverage often fail to pan out. In this respect, the author providesa contemporary update to the conclusions of earlier scholars..."

Choice - S.B. Lichtman

"Soundbittenis an astute, engagingly written study of the dynamics and costs of media obsession by activist groups. Sarah Sobieraj busts the cliches of both movement organizations and sociologists with aplomb."

Todd Gitlin

"Soundbittenis a compelling book whose insightful analysis is well supported by rich empirical data. It is a welcome contribution to the literature on politics, media, and activism."

Katrina Kimportn Journal of Sociology

"Soundbitten is a well-written and engaging book that both you and your students will enjoy. Sobierajs writing is accessible and the book is rife with interesting examples and colorful pictures that make the events outside of the conventions come alive...In short, Sobieraj outlines newavenues for research on civil society andthe public sphere and we ignore her findings at our own peril."

Contemporary Sociology - Deana A. Rohlinger

"Beyond its utility for activists, Soundbitten is essential for scholars of social movements and activism and would be a great read for an undergraduate or graduate social movements or political communication course. Additionally, this book is a valuable read for those interested in public relationspractitioners and scholars alikebecause it gives such detailed insights into the complex relationships between groups seeking media attention and the journalists reporting on them.-"

Michael P. Boyle

"Drawing on her extensive participant observation of social-movement organizations during several presidential campaigns, Sarah Sobieraj demonstrates how the pervasive mediatization of politics has jeopardized the ability of dissenting groups to engage in public discourse and so has altered the very fabric of both social movements and the civil society that the news media claim to inform."

Gaye Tuchman

"Sarah Sobieraj's Soundbitten is important, insightful, and disturbing. With gripping detail, she shows how activist groups try to get some of the spotlight that surrounds political conventions, and use mass media to project an image of themselves and their concerns. It's an uphill struggle, and media are far more willing to cover colorful events than cogent arguments. What's worse, in trying to cultivate the spotlight, organizations undermine their own capacity to promote meaningful political debate. Seeking legitimation from mainstream media, Sobieraj shows, seems like the unavoidableand almost impossible struggle for activists."

David S. Meyer

"Soundbittenis a compelling book whose insightful analysis is well supported by rich empirical data. It is a welcome contribution to the literature on politics, media, and activism."

American Journal of Sociology - Katrina Kimport

"Using her own fieldwork observations as a baseline, Sobieraj shows how activist groups' expectations of media coverage often fail to pan out. In this respect, the author provides a contemporary update to the conclusions of earlier scholars..."-S.B. Lichtman,Choice

“Beyond its utility for activists, Soundbitten is essential for scholars of social movements and activism and would be a great read for an undergraduate or graduate social movements or political communication course. Additionally, this book is a valuable read for those interested in public relations—practitioners and scholars alike—because it gives such detailed insights into the complex relationships between groups seeking media attention and the journalists reporting on them.”-Michael P. Boyle,Political Science Quarterly

"Sarah Sobieraj's Soundbitten is important, insightful, and disturbing. With gripping detail, she shows how activist groups try to get some of the spotlight that surrounds political conventions, and use mass media to project an image of themselves and their concerns. It's an uphill struggle, and media are far more willing to cover colorful events than cogent arguments.
What's worse, in trying to cultivate the spotlight, organizations undermine their own capacity to promote meaningful political debate. Seeking legitimation from mainstream media, Sobieraj shows, seems like the unavoidable—and almost
impossible— struggle for activists."-David S. Meyer,University of California, Irvine

"Soundbitten is a compelling book whose insightful analysis is well supported by rich empirical data. It is a welcome contribution to the literature on politics, media, and activism."-Katrina Kimport,American Journal of Sociology

“Soundbitten is a well-written and engaging book that both you and your students will enjoy. Sobieraj’s writing is accessible and the book is rife with interesting examples and colorful pictures that make the events outside of the conventions come alive... In short, Sobieraj outlines new avenues for research on civil society and the public sphere and we ignore her findings at our own peril.”-Deana A. Rohlinger,Contemporary Sociology

"Drawing on her extensive participant observation of social-movement organizations during several presidential campaigns, Sarah Sobieraj demonstrates how the pervasive mediatization of politics has jeopardized the ability of dissenting groups to engage in public discourse and so has altered the very fabric of both social movements and the civil society that the news media claim to inform."-Gaye Tuchman,author of Making News: A Study in the Construction of Reality

"Sarah Sobieraj's book is an important contribution but not only to literature on social movements and media, but also to activists in the field trying to affect change."-Erin Evans,Mobilization

"Soundbitten is an astute, engagingly written study of the dynamics and costs of media obsession by activist groups. Sarah Sobieraj busts the cliches of both movement organizations and sociologists with aplomb."-Todd Gitlin,Columbia University

From the Publisher