The political economy of communication (PEC) situates media systems and practices in
their structural and historical contexts; however, PEC scholars rarely articulate or justify
their research methods. To address this oversight, this article explains how PEC scholars
use trade publications to study media industries, practices, policy making, and discourses
thereof. Following a critical realist approach, PEC researchers “burrow down” in trade press
advertisements and reports and “listen in” to the frank, insider discussions therein. This
article evaluates the trade press against Scott’s four “quality control criteria” for
documentary sources—authenticity, credibility, representativeness, and meaning. Trade
publications employ daunting industry jargon, and they can be cozy with the industries
they cover. Still, the trade press provide otherwise unobtainable insights into the structure
and organization of media industries, how they are regulated, and the practices and
worldviews of media executives and professionals. This article argues that by approaching
the trade press ethnographically, PEC researchers can reap their benefits while avoiding
pitfalls.