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Catching Fire in the News

Catching Fire in the News

Paperback

Series: Elements in Politics and Communication

General Political Science

ISBN10: 1009498444
ISBN13: 9781009498449
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: Feb 26 2026
Pages: 100
Weight: 0.32
Height: 0.21 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Why do some events catch fire in the news, producing a media storm, while many similar events go all but unnoticed? This Element uses a fire triangle analogy to explain the necessary conditions of media storms. The heat is the spark: a dramatic event or discovery. The fuel is the political and cultural landscape, including similar items in recent news, and current debates that allow the event to be framed in a resonant way. The oxygen is the available news agenda space, plus attention the event receives beyond the news (by activists, politicians, people on social media, etc.). Media storms are not easily predictable; it takes the right event, at the right time, with the right momentum of attention. But when the political stars align and a media storm erupts, it can be a window of opportunity for change. This Element is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

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Boydstun, Amber E.

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General Political Science