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Political communicators attempt to dominate the political debate by getting their agenda & opinion into the media; therefore, political communication is politics in itself. The impact of political communication has become more prominent in the US & Germany. However, professional political communication cannot overcome the critical attitudes & judgments of the public. 1 Reference. Adapted from the source document.

Examines coverage of immigration, political violence, and xenophobia in the German media; includes analysis of political discourse.

The relationship between science & the public was always a central theme in Neurath's work. However, as a worker's educator, museum director & pedagogical innovator, his reasoning about these questions was always a kind of self-reflection. In this intellectual process, he modified & even revised both his understanding of democracy & his role as a scholar & scientific expert within democratic deliberation. After all, the elaboration of the political project 'democratisation of knowledge' included the emergence of a critical approach towards the role of experts in political communication & decision-making. The essay starts by discussing the question of whether Neurath can be seen as a political intellectual. Therefore it passes through the different periods of his life to demonstrate that both his political role & his political self-image changed several times. After this his central political project -- democratization of knowledge -- will be analyzed & historically reconstructed. Finally the paper demonstrates that Neurath's approach can successfully be related to deliberative & reflexive theories of democracy. Adapted from the source document.

Committees are a central arena for the preliminary & the commitment of political decisions. With a recently published method of analysis for committee meetings (Nullmeier et al. 2008) these processes of usually face-to-face interaction which aim to establish binding decisions are captured by a detailed micro-level analysis. Our paper uses this approach & focuses on the role of deviations from the pure type of a formalized decision. Nonverbal forms of expression are of special importance for these ways of decision making. Empirical examples come from committee meetings at the local & regional level. The central question of this paper is: How do committee members compensate the missing ritual of formalized voting -- for example with hand signals -- when the decision is taken in more informal ways. Further we ask about the consequences of the absence of such explicitly regulated procedures for the participation of all committee members in a decision. With four model cases of different voting practices we show that such structural gaps are filled & formed predominantly by nonverbal communication. Secondly we point out that informal ways of decision making open up specific possibilities to push personal preferences. Our paper thus is also meant to contribute to a methodology of microanalysis of power relations in political committees. Adapted from the source document.

Assuming that due to disenchantment with politics and more complexity citizens have to participate more in political decisions, Wolfgang Vortkamp analyzes, which requirements have to be met by civic participation. In order to avoid protest-only-participation, citizens have to participate in an early stage of the process. Furthermore it has to be institutionalized as only then it can be dealt with by administration without problems. Second it is necessary that procedures are created in a way that citizens can develop some kind of public spirit which is necessary in democracies. This can be reached most effective when there is room for communication and exchange of ideas. Adapted from the source document

Academics have been arguing about the political & social changes initiated by communication technologies for more than hundred years. Internet-politics does not have the potential to form a new digital culture of deliberation. The existing background of communication culture is a very important variable which has not been incorporated before. The author suggests five different concepts of politics based on the internet. The model of digital democracy provides a basis for exploring the interconnection between internet based politics & change in political & communication culture. Digital democracy has the potential to make a difference in public deliberation; however, it needs concerned elites & prudent governance. Figures, References. Adapted from the source document.