Drawing on first-hand research in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan and Thailand - and employing comparative examples that include Burma, Malaysia and the Phillipines - Duncan McCargo examines the various influences of the Media as agents of stability, restraint and change. He also analyses pressures on the media from a range of state, non-state and market forces, and sets out to problematize simplistic readings of issues such as media freedom, ownership, partisanship, profitability, regulation and public interest. The result is an in-depth and fascinating study of the interplay between the media and the political process.

Written in a clear and accessible style with numerous examples, this highly original book will be useful to academics, students, journalists, and general readers interested in Asian studies, media and politics.