Editorial

João Carlos Correia
Universidade da Beira Interior
E-mail: joaocarloscorreia@ubi.pt

This is the first issue of "Communication Studies'' (Estudos em Comunicação), published by Labcom (Online Communication Lab of the University of Beira Interior, Portugal). The general subject of study of this first issue is Communication and Politics including, among others, essays focused on the following topics: journalism and public sphere; journalism and democratic deliberation; ethical and political problems concerning the representation of politics by news media; media regulation and Public Service Broadcasting; the role of intellectuals in the public sphere during different periods of European history; the status of emotion in practical philosophy regarding the pursuit of the good life; impact of regional media on democratic deliberation and representation; epistemological status of journalism in what concerns the enlightment of well-informed citizens; analysis of media discourse on electoral campaigns; the rule of audiences in the building of political meaning; empirical work on the role and attitude of government communication professionals regarding external public communication about policy intentions, and theoretical examinations of concepts such as "deliberation'' or "public sphere'' among others.

The concept of public sphere has been subject to an intense re-examination, since the classic theoretical approach carried out by Jürgen Habermas (1961) and Hannah Arendt (1958). The eruption of identity issues and the intense changes verified with the profissionalization of political communication demands a critical look on concepts acquired in reflection on public sphere and in the theory of democratic deliberation. Most of the essays that have been selected give interesting and original contributions to re-think some classical concepts and, even, its pertinence.

In this issue of the review we underline mostly the intense diversity of methods and theoretical approaches, and also the profound diversity of the schools and of the origins of authors: Neatherlands, United Kingdon, France, Brazil, Spain and, of course, Portugal. With the use of four working languages, our commitment is to try to build a place of academic and scientific encounter among different cultural realities working with a common subject and sharing identical scientific purposes.

This first issue of the review has accepted also essays and articles to a thematic dossier on "The Teaching of `Communication Sciences' in Europe after the Bologna Process''. The essays and articles accepted include epistemological, institutional and pedagogic angles of approach, presenting relevant opinions, analysis, examples and case studies about the teaching of Communication Theory.

This issue of the review has all the problems of a first atempt. But we think that, generally, we are going to maintain this structure: so each issue of the review will maintain a general subject of study and a thematic dossier. The general subject and the thematic dossier will be different on each issue. The general subject will include only academic and scientific essays. The thematic dossier, besides essays and papers, may also include interviews, articles or statements about a subject of general interest to the Academy and to the study of Communication Sciences. Our purpose in these thematic dossiers is to make some kind of scientific journalism, without losing an academic perspective.

In what concerns its contents, this review will cover several areas of research, having in common a deep scientific concern with media studies and interface areas among Social Theory and Communication Sciences including cultural criticism, communication and culture, media and politics, cyberculture, media and identities, citizenship, and so on. "Communication Studies'' cannot forget its origin in one particular school of the scientific Portuguese community: following the good practices of the University of Beira Interior we will give a deep attention to Rhetoric, Image Theory and New Technologies of Information and Communication. We believe in a global idea of new humanities, emphasizing the bridge between Communication and Arts. So, perspectives coming from Philosophy, Sociology, Political Science, Psychology, Education Sciences and Arts and all the fields of study that make sense to the study of Communication Sciences, with particular emphasis in the mentioned subjects, will always be welcome.