New book honours the enduring legacy of media scholar Professor Jay Blumler

The book explores the challenges facing political communication in the 2020s, a decade marked by upheaval in media, politics and public discourse

A new book published by researchers at the University of Leeds’ School of Media and Communication pays tribute to the enduring influence of the School’s founder, the late Professor Jay Blumler.

Public Communication in Freefall: Revisiting the Work of Jay Blumler – edited by Professors Stephen Coleman, Julie Firmstone, Katy Parry & Chris Paterson at the School of Media and Communication, along with Professor Frank Esser of the University of Zurich – explores the challenges facing political communication in the 2020s, a decade marked by upheaval in media, politics and public discourse.

Drawing on Blumler’s pioneering theoretical work, the book interrogates how changing media ecologies, shifting cultural expectations, and democratic backsliding are reshaping public life. While rooted in Blumler’s foundational insights, the contributors offer critical updates that respond to contemporary conditions.

Professor Chris Paterson, one of the book’s editors, said:

“Many people are talking and writing about the crisis of political democracy, fewer are talking about the role of the media in relation to that crisis. While many scholars have responded in an ad hoc way to the various crises – populism, polarisation, mis and disinformation – this book shows how Jay Blumler’s scholarship provides us with the tools and a framework to research and understand the changing communication environment systemically and rigorously. We expect this book to become a major source for political communication students and scholars.”

Chapters from an international group of contributors examine the fragility and potential of both public service media and digital platforms to support democratic engagement. The volume also considers the usefulness of the ‘crisis’ concept for understanding mainstream political communication and reflects on the ongoing relevance of Blumler’s thinking for today’s communication landscape.

By bringing together voices from across career stages and geographical contexts, Public Communication in Freefall offers a rich and provocative exploration of what publicness and democracy mean today – and how we might reimagine them for the future.

The School of Media and Communication recently hosted the 2025 Jay Blumler Lecture, an annual event which this year saw Shani Orgad, Professor of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), examine the value of ambivalence in public discourse and as a critical sensibility in the classroom and in research.