Instead of marking the end of critical inquiry or the end of history, as some have suggested, Sparks argues that the collapse of the communist systems demonstrates how very limited and frequently incorrect the main ways of discussing the mass media are. He concludes with a provocative discussion of the ways in which we need to modify our thinking in the light of these developments.

`This study stands apart because of the conclusions drawn by the author from the polictical/constitutional d[ac]eb[ci]acle in the Visegard countries′ - The Economic Times

Colin Sparks is a professor at the Centre for Communication and Information Studies at the Univeristy of Westminster and Co-Editor of Media, Culture and Society. Anna Reading is a lecturer at Southbank University and Assistant Editor of Media, Culture and Society.