David S. Birdsell's Books

Presidential Debates

The Challenge of Creating an Informed Electorate

By: Kathleen Hall Jamieson,David S. Birdsell

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Presidential Debates

The Challenge of Creating an Informed Electorate

By: Kathleen Hall Jamieson,David S. Birdsell

Do Presidential Debates really make issues more central to the campaign, or are they merely joint press conferences in which pre-packaged slogans hold sway? This work places contemporary debates in their historical context, tracing their development in the American political tradition from the eighteenth century to the present. The authors conclude with thoughtful recommendations designed to preserve the best elements of traditional debate while adapting to the requirements of the broadcast age. Book jacket.

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Page Count

273

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

019506660X

ISBN 13

9780195066609

Presidential Debates : The Challenge of Creating an Informed Electorate

The Challenge of Creating an Informed Electorate

By: The Annenberg School for Communication University of Pennsylvania Kathleen Hall Jamieson Dean,Department of Speech Baruch College David S. Birdsell Assistant Professor, City University of New York

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Presidential Debates : The Challenge of Creating an Informed Electorate

The Challenge of Creating an Informed Electorate

Presidential debates have had mixed reviews. Advocates praise debates as a way of making issues more central to the campaign. Others criticize them as little more than joint press conferences. How important are these debates? Do they really test knowledge and vision? Do they sort good ideas from bad, or reveal important character traits and habits of mind? In short, do they provide voters with what they need to know to choose a president? To address these questions, the authors place contemporary debates in their cultural and historical context, tracing their origins and development in the American political tradition, from the eighteenth century to the present. Although the Kennedy-Nixon TV confrontations were an historical first, debate was an element of American electoral politics by 1788 and a staple of policy deliberation throughout the colonial period. Indeed, much of the confusion over the value of debates stems in part from the long tradition of political debating in America. Thus, to make the most productive use of debate in modern presidential politics, the authors argue, we must respond to the history of this tradition. The book concludes with recommendations to preserve the best elements of traditional debate while adapting to the requirements of the broadcast age. The reforms they advocate include: substantive debates between major party representatives between elections; alternative formats; use of visual aids in debates; follow-up press conferences; a focus on fewer issues and increased experimentation in the primaries. Presidential debates provide voters with a rare opportunity to evaluate political reasoning on complex issues. In suggesting ways to make presidential debates even more effective, this thought-provoking volume makes an important contribution to America's political future.

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Page Count

278

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199729190

ISBN 13

9780199729197

The Practice of Argumentation

By: David Zarefsky

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The Practice of Argumentation

By: David Zarefsky

Explores how we justify our beliefs - and try to influence those of others - both soundly and effectively.

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Page Count

287

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

110703471X

ISBN 13

9781107034716

The Media's Role in Defining the Nation

The Active Voice

By: David A. Copeland,David Copeland

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The Media's Role in Defining the Nation

The Active Voice

By: David A. Copeland,David Copeland

In 1897, William Randolph Hearst said that his newspaper did not simply cover events that had already happened. «It doesn't wait for things to turn up», Hearst said. «It turns them up.» This book traces the close relationship between media and the United States' development from the colonial period to the twenty-first century. It explores how the active voice of citizen-journalists and trained media professionals has turned to media to direct the moral compass of the people and to set the agenda for a nation, and discusses how changes in technology have altered the way in which participatory journalism is practiced. What makes the book powerful is that its assessment of the influence and use of media encompasses many levels: it explores the potential of media as an agent for change from within small communities to the national stage.

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Page Count

340

Publisher

Peter Lang

Published Date

ISBN 10

1433103796

ISBN 13

9781433103797

Book's by David S. Birdsell

Presidential Debates

Presidential Debates

Presidential Debates : The Challenge of Creating an Informed Electorate

Presidential Debates : The Challenge of Creating an Informed Electorate

The Practice of Argumentation

The Practice of Argumentation

The Media's Role in Defining the Nation

The Media's Role in Defining the Nation

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