Simon Cottle is Professor of Media Communication at Bath Spa University College. His previous books include TV News, Urban Conflict and the Inner City (Leicester University Press, 1993), Television and Ethnic Minorities: Producers Perspectives (Avebury, 1997) and, with A. Hansen, R. Negrine and C. Newbold, Mass Communication Research Methods (Macmillan, 1998). His research interests include the sociology of journalism and television production, and the representation of conflicts including urban disorder, the environment, war and racism.