The sixth edition of An Introduction to Political Communication examines the nature of political public relations, political advertising and the role of the media in modern democracies. Brain McNair reflects on the role of political communication in current political shifts across the globe, from the referendum vote for the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the rise of right-wing populist groups in countries like Hungary, France and Italy, to the defeat of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 US presidential election. The book argues that these unprecedented trends have largely arisen out of an expanding digital media network and that this has allowed everyone from politicians and pressure - groups, to trade unions and terrorist organisations to bypass traditional, established media to widely communicate their messages. This sixth edition has been comprehensively revised and updated to include: * the 2016 US presidential election, and the rise of Donald Trump, * the UK's EU referendum of 2016 and the Scottish independence referendum of 2014, * the growing role in political communication of the internet and social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, and their destabilising impact on the management of political crises all over the world, including the Panama Papers, the shooting down of MH17, and Russia's annexation of Crimea, * the growing power of Wikileaks and other online information sources such as the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to challenge state control of classified information.