Includes bibliographical references (p. [185]-190) and index.

Ch. 1. Introduction -- Ch. 2. International Broadcasting as Public Diplomacy -- Ch. 3. Symbolic Constructs in International Broadcasting -- Ch. 4. 1987 Washington Superpower Summit -- Ch. 5. 1988 Moscow Superpower Summit -- Ch. 6. 1989 Summits -- Ch. 7. 1990 Washington Superpower Summit -- Ch. 8. Conclusions: Trends in News Coverage and Propaganda, 1987-1990 -- Ch. 9. Symbolic Constructs and Historical Circumstances: Effects on the Global Information Order -- App. 1. Treatment Coefficients for NSC Themes -- App. 2. Treatment Coefficients for Summit Principals and Their Countries -- App. 3. Percentage of Stories Devoted to Selected Summit Issues, by Summit and Service.

This book examines international radio news coverage of the four superpower summit meetings between Soviets and Americans from 1987 to 1990. It concentrates on the symbolic constructs used by radio services to report about the summits, including their treatments of the two superpowers, their leaders, and their perspectives as recorded in interviews, press conferences and releases, joint communiques, and briefings. The study assesses the degree of success enjoyed by each of the superpowers in directing the nature of international news coverage, particularly the public relations battle between Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan. It also weighs the viability of specific "talking points" written to direct U.S. summit statements by the National Security Council, and the degree to which news coverage was tainted by propaganda. Finally, it is able to suggest the nature of each service's contribution to diversity in international news flow, and to the ongoing debate about the equality of the international communication and information order.