ABSTRACT

Fixing American Politics: Solutions for the Media Age brings together original chapters from 34 noted scholars from two disciplines – political science and communication – asked to identify the most pressing problems facing the American people and how they can be solved. Authors address the questions succinctly and directly, with their favored solutions featured in chapter titles that exhort and inspire.

The book gives the reader much to think about and debate. Should news outlets be funded with public money rather than by private enterprise? Are the new social media a boon or a bane to political elections? Is the American past dead, or is it living once again? Do churchgoers and environmentalists have anything to discuss? Is the FCC doing its job? Can political ads be made less toxic? Should Fox News be "cancelled?" Should cancel cultures be cancelled? Can we become more civil to one another and, if so, how? Fixing American Politics poses all the best questions … and offers some concrete answers as well. This book is perfect for students, citizens, the media, and anyone concerned with contemporary challenges to civic life and discourse today.

part |10 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|8 pages

Make Politics Your Passion

ByRoderick P. Hart

part 1|35 pages

Make History Functional

chapter 2|8 pages

Let's Find a Usable Past

ByJill A. Edy

chapter 3|8 pages

Understand Your Moment in Time

ByDavid A. Crockett

chapter 4|8 pages

Heed the Prophetic Voice

ByTheon E. Hill

chapter 5|9 pages

Experiment With Playful Protest

ByTiffany Lewis

part 2|41 pages

Exploit Human Capacities

chapter 6|7 pages

Let Consensus Overcome Polarization

ByMarc C. Hetherington

chapter 7|8 pages

Use Emotion Wisely

ByBethany Albertson

chapter 8|9 pages

Explore the Reasons for Incivility

ByEmily Sydnor

chapter 9|7 pages

Tell the Story of Poverty 1

ByEunji Kim

chapter 10|8 pages

Imagine New Political Coalitions

ByVincent N. Pham

part 3|38 pages

Open Your Mind

chapter 11|9 pages

Listen to the First Amendment

ByLisbeth A. Lipari

chapter 12|8 pages

Hear the Presidency Differently

ByVanessa Beasley

chapter 13|9 pages

Fix the “Cancel Culture” Mentality

ByShawn J. Parry-Giles

chapter 14|10 pages

Cultivate Empathy for Outgroups

ByNicholas A. Valentino

part 4|45 pages

Confront the Establishment

chapter 15|8 pages

Counter a Reactive Media System

ByDhavan Shah, Yini Zhang, Jon Pevehouse, Sebastián Valenzuela

chapter 16|10 pages

Create a Watchdog Branch of Government

ByJ. H. Snider

chapter 17|6 pages

Modernize Health-Care Decision-Making

ByAmy Bunger

chapter 18|8 pages

Give Election Apps More Integrity

ByJessica Baldwin-Philippi

chapter 19|11 pages

Shake Up the FCC

ByBartholomew H. Sparrow

part 5|43 pages

Upgrade Political Campaigns

chapter 20|10 pages

Study the Electorate Thoroughly

ByDaron R. Shaw

chapter 21|8 pages

Talk About Voters Thoughtfully

BySharon E. Jarvis

chapter 22|8 pages

Vote When Voting Really Counts

ByJohn C. Tedesco

chapter 23|8 pages

Make Ads Safe for Democracy

ByGlenn W. Richardson

chapter 24|7 pages

Let's Outperform Super PACs

ByRobert Klotz

part 6|44 pages

Reimagine Traditional Journalism

chapter 25|8 pages

Address Journalism's Crisis Boldly

ByRegina G. Lawrence

chapter 26|8 pages

Measure Newsroom Effectiveness Differently

ByNatalie (Talia) Jomini Stroud, Yujin Kim

chapter 27|9 pages

Publicly Subsidize Journalism

ByDavid M. Ryfe

chapter 28|7 pages

Report on Terrorism Responsibly

ByScott L. Althaus

chapter 29|10 pages

Challenge Fox News

ByJeffrey P. Jones

part |14 pages

Conclusion

chapter 30|12 pages

Enliven Your Civic Capacities

BySusan Nold