We are very grateful to everyone at Bedford/St. Martin’s who supported this project through its many stages. We wish that every textbook author could have the kind of experience we had with these people: Chuck Christensen, Joan Feinberg, Denise Wydra, Erika Gutierrez, Erica Appel, Stacey Propps, Simon Glick, and Noel Hohnstine. Over the years, we have also collaborated with superb and supportive developmental editors: on the ninth edition, Ada Fung Platt and Jesse Hassenger. We particularly appreciate the tireless work of Shuli Traub, managing editor, who oversaw the book’s extremely tight schedule; William Imbornoni and Harold Chester, senior project editors who kept the book on schedule while making sure we got the details right; Dennis J. Conroy, senior production supervisor; and Alexis Smith, associate editor. Thanks also to Donna Dennison for a fantastic cover design and to Kim Cevoli for a striking brochure. We are especially grateful to our research assistant, Susan Coffin, who functioned as a one-person clipping service throughout the process. We are also grateful to Jimmie Reeves, our digital gaming expert, who contributed his great knowledge of this medium to the development of Chapter 3.

We also want to thank the many fine and thoughtful reviewers who contributed ideas to the ninth edition of Media and Culture: Glenda Alvarado, University of South Carolina; Lisa Burns, Quinnipiac University; Matthew Cecil, South Dakota University; John Dougan, Middle Tennessee State University; Lewis Freeman, Fordham University; Cindy Hing-Yuk Wong, College of Staten Island; K. Megan Hopper, Illinois State University; John Kerezy, Cuyahoga Community College; Marcia Ladendorff, University of North Florida; Julie Lellis, Elon University; Joy McDonald, Hampton University; Heather McIntosh, Boston College; Kenneth Nagelberg, Delaware State University; Eric Pierson, University of San Diego; Jennifer Tiernan, South Dakota State University; Erin Wilgenbusch, Iowa State University.

For the eighth edition: Frank A. Aycock, Appalachian State University; Carrie Buchanan, John Carroll University; Lisa M. Burns, Quinnipiac University; Rich Cameron, Cerritos College; Katherine Foss, Middle Tennessee State University; Myleea D. Hill, Arkansas State University; Sarah Alford Hock, Santa Barbara City College; Sharon R. Hollenback, Syracuse University; Drew Jacobs, Camden County College; Susan Katz, University of Bridgeport; John Kerezy, Cuyahoga Community College; Les Kozaczek, Franklin Pierce University; Deborah L. Larson, Missouri State University; Susan Charles Lewis, Minnesota State University—Mankato; Rick B. Marks, College of Southern Nevada; Donna R. Munde, Mercer County Community College; Wendy Nelson, Palomar College; Charles B. Scholz, New Mexico State University; Don W. Stacks, University of Miami; Carl Sessions Stepp, University of Maryland; David Strukel, University of Toledo; Lisa Turowski, Towson University; Lisa M. Weidman, Linfield College.

For the seventh edition: Robert Blade, Florida Community College; Lisa Boragine, Cape Cod Community College; Joseph Clark, University of Toledo; Richard Craig, San Jose State University; Samuel Ebersole, Colorado State University—Pueblo; Brenda Edgerton-Webster, Mississippi State University; Tim Edwards, University of Arkansas at Little Rock; Mara Einstein, Queens College; Lillie M. Fears, Arkansas State University; Connie Fletcher, Loyola University; Monica Flippin-Wynn, University of Oklahoma; Gil Fowler, Arkansas State University; Donald G. Godfrey, Arizona State University; Patricia Homes, University of Southwestern Louisiana; Daniel McDonald, Ohio State University; Connie McMahon, Barry University; Steve Miller, Rutgers University; Siho Nam, University of North Florida; David Nelson, University of Colorado—Colorado Springs; Zengjun Peng, St. Cloud State University; Deidre Pike, University of Nevada—Reno; Neil Ralston, Western Kentucky University; Mike Reed, Saddleback College; David Roberts, Missouri Valley College; Donna Simmons, California State University—Bakersfield; Marc Skinner, University of Idaho; Michael Stamm, University of Minnesota; Bob Trumpbour, Penn State University; Kristin Watson, Metro State University; Jim Weaver, Virginia Polytechnic and State University; David Whitt, Nebraska Wesleyan University.

For the sixth edition: Boyd Dallos, Lake Superior College; Roger George, Bellevue Community College; Osvaldo Hirschmann, Houston Community College; Ed Kanis, Butler University; Dean A. Kruckeberg, University of Northern Iowa; Larry Leslie, University of South Florida; Lori Liggett, Bowling Green State University; Steve Miller, Rutgers University; Robert Pondillo, Middle Tennessee State University; David Silver, University of San Francisco; Chris White, Sam Houston State University; Marvin Williams, Kingsborough Community College.

For the fifth edition: Russell Barclay, Quinnipiac University; Kathy Battles, University of Michigan; Kenton Bird, University of Idaho; Ed Bonza, Kennesaw State University; Larry L. Burris, Middle Tennessee State University; Ceilidh Charleson-Jennings, Collin County Community College; Raymond Eugene Costain, University of Central Florida; Richard Craig, San Jose State University; Dave Deeley, Truman State University; Janine Gerzanics, West Valley College; Beth Haller, Towson University; Donna Hemmila, Diablo Valley College; Sharon Hollenback, Syracuse University; Marshall D. Katzman, Bergen Community College; Kimberly Lauffer, Towson University; Steve Miller, Rutgers University; Stu Minnis, Virginia Wesleyan College; Frank G. Perez, University of Texas at El Paso; Dave Perlmutter, Louisiana State University—Baton Rouge; Karen Pitcher, University of Iowa; Ronald C. Roat, University of Southern Indiana; Marshel Rossow, Minnesota State University; Roger Saathoff, Texas Tech University; Matthew Smith, Wittenberg University; Marlane C. Steinwart, Valparaiso University.

For the fourth edition: Fay Y. Akindes, University of Wisconsin—Parkside; Robert Arnett, Mississippi State University; Charles Aust, Kennesaw State University; Russell Barclay, Quinnipiac University; Bryan Brown, Southwest Missouri State University; Peter W. Croisant, Geneva College; Mark Goodman, Mississippi State University; Donna Halper, Emerson College; Rebecca Self Hill, University of Colorado; John G. Hodgson, Oklahoma State University; Cynthia P. King, American University; Deborah L. Larson, Southwest Missouri State University; Charles Lewis, Minnesota State University—Mankato; Lila Lieberman, Rutgers University; Abbus Malek, Howard University; Anthony A. Olorunnisola, Pennsylvania State University; Norma Pecora, Ohio University—Athens; Elizabeth M. Perse, University of Delaware; Hoyt Purvis, University of Arkansas; Alison Rostankowski, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee; Roger A. Soenksen, James Madison University; Hazel Warlaumont, California State University—Fullerton.

For the third edition: Gerald J. Baldasty, University of Washington; Steve M. Barkin, University of Maryland; Ernest L. Bereman, Truman State University; Daniel Bernadi, University of Arizona; Kimberly L. Bissell, Southern Illinois University; Audrey Boxmann, Merrimack College; Todd Chatman, University of Illinois; Ray Chavez, University of Colorado; Vic Costello, Gardner—Webb University; Paul D’Angelo, Villanova University; James Shanahan, Cornell University; Scott A. Webber, University of Colorado.

For the second edition: Susan B. Barnes, Fordham University; Margaret Bates, City College of New York; Steven Alan Carr, Indiana University/Purdue University—Fort Wayne; William G. Covington Jr., Bridgewater State College; Roger Desmond, University of Hartford; Jules d’Hemecourt, Louisiana State University; Cheryl Evans, Northwestern Oklahoma State University; Douglas Gomery, University of Maryland; Colin Gromatzky, New Mexico State University; John L. Hochheimer, Ithaca College; Sheena Malhotra, University of New Mexico; Sharon R. Mazzarella, Ithaca College; David Marc McCoy, Kent State University; Beverly Merrick, New Mexico State University; John Pantalone, University of Rhode Island; John Durham Peters, University of Iowa; Lisa Pieraccini, Oswego State College; Susana Powell, Borough of Manhattan Community College; Felicia Jones Ross, Ohio State University; Enid Sefcovic, Florida Atlantic University; Keith Semmel, Cumberland College; Augusta Simon, Embry—Riddle Aeronautical University; Clifford E. Wexler, Columbia—Greene Community College.

For the first edition: Paul Ashdown, University of Tennessee; Terry Bales, Rancho Santiago College; Russell Barclay, Quinnipiac University; Thomas Beell, Iowa State University; Fred Blevens, Southwest Texas State University; Stuart Bullion, University of Maine; William G. Covington Jr., Bridgewater State College; Robert Daves, Minneapolis Star Tribune; Charles Davis, Georgia Southern University; Thomas Donahue, Virginia Commonwealth University; Ralph R. Donald, University of Tennessee—Martin; John P. Ferre, University of Louisville; Donald Fishman, Boston College; Elizabeth Atwood Gailey, University of Tennessee; Bob Gassaway, University of New Mexico; Anthony Giffard, University of Washington; Zhou He, San Jose State University; Barry Hollander, University of Georgia; Sharon Hollenbeck, Syracuse University; Anita Howard, Austin Community College; James Hoyt, University of Wisconsin—Madison; Joli Jensen, University of Tulsa; Frank Kaplan, University of Colorado; William Knowles, University of Montana; Michael Leslie, University of Florida; Janice Long, University of Cincinnati; Kathleen Maticheck, Normandale Community College; Maclyn McClary, Humboldt State University; Robert McGaughey, Murray State University; Joseph McKerns, Ohio State University; Debra Merskin, University of Oregon; David Morrissey, Colorado State University; Michael Murray, University of Missouri at St. Louis; Susan Dawson O’Brien, Rose State College; Patricia Bowie Orman, University of Southern Colorado; Jim Patton, University of Arizona; John Pauly, St. Louis University; Ted Pease, Utah State University; Janice Peck, University of Colorado; Tina Pieraccini, University of New Mexico; Peter Pringle, University of Tennessee; Sondra Rubenstein, Hofstra University; Jim St. Clair, Indiana University Southeast; Jim Seguin, Robert Morris College; Donald Shaw, University of North Carolina; Martin D. Sommernes, Northern Arizona State University; Linda Steiner, Rutgers University; Jill Diane Swensen, Ithaca College; Sharon Taylor, Delaware State University; Hazel Warlaumont, California State University—Fullerton; Richard Whitaker, Buffalo State College; Lynn Zoch, University of South Carolina.

Special thanks from Richard Campbell: I would also like to acknowledge the number of fine teachers at both the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee and Northwestern University who helped shape the way I think about many of the issues raised in this book, and I am especially grateful to my former students at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, Mount Mary College, the University of Michigan, Middle Tennessee State University, and my current students at Miami University. Some of my students have contributed directly to this text, and thousands have endured my courses over the years—and made them better. My all-time favorite former students, Chris Martin and Bettina Fabos, are now essential coauthors, as well as the creators of our book’s Instructor’s Resource Manual, Test Bank, and the About the Media DVD. I am grateful for Chris and Bettina’s fine writing, research savvy, good stories, and tireless work amid their own teaching schedules and writing careers, all while raising two spirited daughters. I remain most grateful, though, to the people I most love: my son, Chris; my daughter, Caitlin; and, most of all, my wife, Dianna, whose line editing, content ideas, daily conversations, shared interests, and ongoing support are the resources that make this project go better with each edition.

Special thanks from Christopher Martin and Bettina Fabos: We would also like to thank Richard Campbell, with whom it is always a delight working on this project. We also appreciate the great energy, creativity, and talent that everyone at Bedford/St. Martin’s brings to the book. From edition to edition, we also receive plenty of suggestions from Media and Culture users and reviewers and from our own journalism and media students. We would like to thank them for their input and for creating a community of sorts around the theme of critical perspectives on the media. Most of all, we’d like to thank our daughters, Olivia and Sabine, who bring us joy and laughter every day, and a sense of mission to better understand the world of media and culture in which they live.

Please feel free to e-mail us at mediaandculture@bedfordstmartins.com with any comments, concerns, or suggestions!