Book reviews: Letters to the editor. Comparative and historical perspectives by Allison Cavanagh and John Steel

Abstract

Sending letters to newspapers seems quite old-fashioned in this post-electronic era. Citizens have now other possibilities to be visible. However, this has not prevented authors Allison Cavanagh and John Steel to publish Letters to the Editor. Comparative and Historical Perspectives, hence delivering a passionate defence of this classic way of communication between readers and the media. Throughout nine chapters, 15 contributors engage in a remarkable discussion about the social, political and communicative dimensions of the letters to the editor. It is not a one-sided manifesto: authors acknowledge several pitfalls and downhills of citizens’ intervention in the media, as described early on.