The News Event: Popular Sovereignty in the Age of Deep Mediatization

In the hypermediated world of Tamil Nadu, Francis Cody explores how "news events" are created, focusing on how imaginaries of popular sovereignty are remade through the production and experience of such events. The law plays a crucial role in this process, both as a limit and a positive condition, as acts of legal and extralegal repression of publication can become the stuff of news. Cody argues that the crisis of contemporary news making is that the news can no longer claim exteriority to the world on which it reports.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 26 April 2023
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

In the hypermediated world of Tamil Nadu, Francis Cody delves into the intricate dynamics of "news events," a concept that extends beyond mere representation to encompass the reciprocal relationship between the events being reported and the very act of news coverage itself. A "news event" is not just the act of conveying information through words or images; it is a complex interplay between the events being covered and the media spectacle that surrounds them.

In his book, "The News Event," Cody explores how imaginaries of popular sovereignty have been reshaped through the production and experience of these events. Political sovereignty, traditionally understood as the authority of a governing body, is thoroughly mediated by the media, with subjects invested in the idea of democracy becoming acutely aware of the role that publicly circulating images and texts play in constituting their subjectivity. The law emerges as both a limit and a positive condition in this process, as acts of legal and extralegal repression of publication can themselves become the subject of news coverage.

When the subjects of news occupy multiple participant roles in the unfolding of public events, and when the technologies used to record and circulate these events become news themselves, the act of representing a political event becomes inseparable from the act of participating in it. This, according to Cody, is the central crisis of contemporary news making: the news cannot maintain a clear distinction between itself and the world it reports on.

The media's role in shaping public opinion and influencing political outcomes is undeniable, and Cody's book offers a thought-provoking analysis of the complex interplay between news, power, and democracy in the modern world. Through his exploration of "news events," Cody challenges readers to consider the ethical implications of media coverage and the role that individuals and communities can play in shaping the narrative of public events.

Weight: 510g
Dimension: 160 x 238 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226824734