摘要：THISis the first issue of "Studies in Communication" (Estudos em Comuni-ca..o), published by Labcom (Online Communication Lab of the Univer-sity of Beira Interior, Portugal). The general subject of study of this first issueis Communication and Politics including, among others, essays focused onthe following topics: journalism and public sphere; journalism and democra-tic deliberation; ethical and political problems concerning the representationof politics by news media; media regulation and Public Service Broadcasting;the role of intellectuals in the public sphere during different periods of Euro-pean history; the status of emotion in practical philosophy regarding the pur-suit of the good life; impact of regional media on democratic deliberation andrepresentation; epistemological status of journalism in what concerns the en-lightment of well-informed citizens; analysis of media discourse on electoralcampaigns; the rule of audiences in the building of political meaning; empiri-cal work on the role and attitude of government communication professionalsregarding external public communication about policy intentions, and theoreti-cal examinations of concepts such as "deliberation" or "public sphere" amongothers
