Frontmatter -- Preface to Handbooks of Communication Science series -- Contents -- 1. Political communication research. A brief history of the field and the idea of this handbook -- Section I: Foundations -- 2. Normative theories of political communication -- 3. The regulation of political communication -- 4. Political communication in long-term perspective -- 5. Political communication in comparative perspective: Key concepts and new insights -- Section II: Situations -- 6. Strategic political communication in election campaigns -- 7. Political communication in referendums -- 8. Hypes, waves, and storms: Events and the dynamics of their coverage -- 9. Political Communication in social transformation and revolution -- 10. News media, war and world politics -- Section III: Political Actors -- 11. Political actors as communicators -- 12. Media, political agendas and public policy -- 13. Political public relations -- Section IV: Mass Media and Journalism -- 14. The media of political communication -- 15. The media as political actors -- 16. The production of political coverage: The push and pull of power, routines and constraints -- 17. Political journalists as communicators. The impact of individual characteristics on their work -- Section V: Media Messages -- 18. The quality of political media coverage -- 19. Issues, events and frames in political media coverage -- 20. Politicians, parties and political candidates in the news media -- 21. Entertaining and emotional elements in political coverage -- 22. The political relevance of entertainment media -- Section VI: Citizens -- 23. Individual political communication and participation -- 24. Interpersonal and mass mediated political communication -- 25. Uses and perceptions of political media -- 26. Selection, perception, and processing of political messages -- Section VII: Effects on citizens -- 27. Communication and political socialization -- 28. Cognitive effects of political mass media -- 29. Emotional effects in political communication -- 30. Attitudinal effects in political communication -- 31. Media effects on political behavior -- Biographical sketches -- Index