The Handbook of Comparative Communication Research provides a comprehensive examination of comparative communication research. It offers extensive and interdisciplinary discussions of the general approach of comparative research, its prospect and problems as well as its applications in crucial sub-fields of communication.

Thomas Hanitzsch is Professor of Communication at the Institute of Communication Studies and Media Research, University of Munich, Germany. A former journalist, his teaching and research focuses on global journalism cultures, war coverage, celebrity news and comparative methodology. He has authored and edited five books, and his work has been published in major communication journals and edited volumes. Thomas is currently Editor-in-Chief of Communication Theory, and serves as Vice-Chair of the Journalism Studies Section of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA). He is currently leading the Worlds of Journalism Study, a massive multinational survey of journalists, and is involved in several other comparative projects.

Frank Esser (PhD 1997, University of Mainz) is Professor and Chair of International & Comparative Media Research in the Department of Mass Communication and Media Research at the University of Zurich. He was assistant professor of mass communication at the University of Mainz and the University of Missouri-Columbia, and visiting professor at the University of Oklahoma. His research focuses on cross-national studies of news journalism and political communication. He has published five books including Comparing Political Communication: Theories, Cases, and Challenges (Cambridge University Press, 2004), and sixty book chapters and journal articles. Frank is on the editorial boards of Journalism and The International Journal of Press/Politics, and serves as Vice Chair of the Journalism Division of the International Communication Association (ICA). In Zurich he is co-director of the NCCR Democracy, a National Center of Competence in Research funded by the Swiss Science Foundation, to study the impact of globalization and mediatization on Western democracies.

FOREWORD

Jay G. Blumler

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1 On the Why and How of Comparative Inquiry in Communication Studies
Frank Esser and Thomas Hanitzsch

PART II: DISCIPLINARY DEVELOPMENTS

2 Comparing Political Communication
Barbara Pfetsch and Frank Esser

3 Comparing Organizational and Business Communication
Bernard McKenna, Victor J. Callan, and Cindy Gallois

4 Comparing Development Communication
Jan Servaes

5 Comparing Computer-Mediated Communication
Kevin B. Wright and Joshua Averbeck

6 Comparing Visual Communication
Marion G. Müller and Michael Griffin

7 Comparing Intercultural Communication
Young Yun Kim

8 Comparing Language and Social Interaction
David Boromisza-Habashi and Susana Martínez-Guillem

9 Comparing Gender and Communication
Gertrude J. Robinson and Patrice M. Buzzanell

10 Comparing Health Communication
John C. Pollock and Douglas Storey

PART III: CENTRAL RESEARCH AREAS

11 Comparing Media Systems
Jonathan Hardy

12 Comparing Media Systems: A Response to Critics
Daniel C. Hallin and Paolo Mancini

13 Comparing Media Policy and Regulation
Manuel Puppis and Leen d'Haenens

14 Comparing Media Markets
Robert G. Picard and Loris Russi

15 Comparing Media Cultures
Nick Couldry and Andreas Hepp

16 Comparing Journalism Cultures
Thomas Hanitzsch & Wolfgang Donsbach

17 Comparing Public Relations
Katerina Tsetsura and Anna Klyueva

18 Comparing Election Campaign Communication
Frank Esser and Jesper Strömbäck

19 Comparing News on National Elections
Frank Esser and Jesper Strömbäck

20 Comparing News on Europe: Elections and Beyond
Claes H. de Vreese and Hajo G. Boomgaarden

21 Comparing News on Foreign and International Affairs
Pamela J. Shoemaker, Akiba Cohen, Hyunjin Seo and Philip Johnson

22 Comparing Cross-border Information Flows and their Effects
Pippa Norris

23 Comparing Entertainment and Emotions
Holger Schramm and Mary Beth Oliver

24 Comparing Media Use and Reception
Uwe Hasebrink

25 Comparing Effects of Political Communication
Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck

PART IV: CONCEPTUAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES

26 Challenges to Comparative Research in a Globalizing Media Landscape
Sonia Livingstone

27 Comparative Research Designs: Toward a Multilevel Approach
Jack M. McLeod and Nam-Jin Lee

28 Comparative Survey Research
Janet A. Harkness

29 Comparative Content Analysis
Patrick Roessler

30 Securing Equivalence: Problems and Solutions
Werner Wirth and Steffen Kolb

31 Analyzing Comparative Data: Opportunities and Challenges
Rens Vliegenthart

PART V: CONCLUSION

32 Challenges and Perspectives of Comparative Communication Inquiry
Thomas Hanitzsch and Frank Esser

Notes on Contributors