The Making of Citizens: Young People, News and Politics

Based on research conducted in Britain and the US, The Making of Citizens explores these questions through a detailed analysis both of television news programmes and interviews with young people themselves. Buckingham traces the dynamic complexities of young people’s interpretations of news, and their judgements about the ways in which key social and political issues are represented. Rather than bemoaning young people’s ignorance, he argues that we need to rethink what counts as political understanding in contemporary societies, suggesting that we need forms of factual reporting that will engage more effectively with young people’s changing perceptions of themselves as citizens. The Making of Citizens provides a significant contribution to the study of media audiences and a timely intervention in contemporary debates about citizenship and political education.