Combining three telephone surveys during the 2006 Israeli elections and a content analysis of leading Israeli newspapers, this study extended the function of attribute agenda-setting and priming. Analysis documented for the first time that, throughout the course of a campaign, public opinion fluctuates in tandem with the saliency of candidate attributes emphasized in the news. We also found an important consequence of attribute agenda setting, affective priming of candidate attributes, by which the prominent tone of the media's candidate attributes functions as a criterion for evaluating a candidate's suitability. Finally, this public evaluative tone was linked with voting intentions for the candidate's political party. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study analyzed the competition between two rival national actors for access to and influence over the international media as part of their ongoing campaigns to sway international policymaking and gain political control. Two strategic acts were selected: Israel's disengagement from Gaza and the general elections in the Palestinian Authority. Data were obtained from analysis of all relevant messages regarding Israel and the Palestinians from four message sources—the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority, the U.S. government, and the British government—and the national media of the U.S. and Britain from May 2005 through January 2006. Findings revealed that cultural and political congruence between a foreign state and an adversary affords that antagonist an advantage over its rival actor. However, findings indicated that the antagonist actor is nonetheless obliged to compete with the agenda and frames of foreign governments and media outlets. Findings and implications are

The new era of warfare is characterized by the increased visibility of war. The changing strategic, social and cultural environment has forced governments and armies to modify their strategies. Public diplomacy is one strategic policymaking response to this changing environment. This article reviews current research in this field, focusing on mediated public diplomacy, which is a central part of public diplomacy that has not been greatly researched. We discuss the central role played by cultural resonance in mediated public diplomacy, elaborating on immanent tensions between the centrality of cultural resonance and the needs of public, and mediated public diplomacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]