Denis McQuail

Denis McQuail (born 12 April 1935, London) is a communication theorist, Emeritus Professor at the University of Amsterdam, who is considered one of the most influential scholars in the field of mass communication studies. He has published extensively in the field of political communication and communication theory. Best known is his contribution to the education of the public, concerning communication theory. His work has centered on explaining communication theories and their applications. He is adamant about informing the public on the benefits and dangers of mass communication. The Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) established the Denis McQuail Award in his honor which is awarded each year to the best article advancing communication theory since 2006.

McQuail is Emeritus Professor at the University of Amsterdam and Visiting Professor in the Department of Politics at the University of Southampton. In the early 1980s he and Dr. Sven Windahl published a book Communication Models. The book details basic communication models (Lasswell model, Shannon and Weaver's model, Gerbner's model), theories of media, audience-centered models, and mass media systems in general. In textbook style, the book outlines each topic: it is a compilation of existing communication theories with the author's own thoughts. He and co-author Sven Windahl spent a great deal of time on it but at the time it was nothing more than a book of theories.

McQuail's next book, Mass Communication Theory, discusses in greater detail the mass communication concept. Specifically, it talks about the significance of mass media and how it affects the individual and society rather than focusing on the definitions of the models in general. "The three primary objectives: to update and take account of recent theory and research; enlargement, to reflect the continuing expansion of the field; clarification and improved presentation (pg. 13)." In Chapter 10, McQuail discusses the future of mass communication and states that it is either socially fragmenting or unifying. He makes several points on how the media needs to be socially responsible in order to be effective.

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