Fixing American Politics

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.

Roderick P. Hart holds the Shivers Chair in Communication and is Professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin, USA. He is also the founding director of the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life based in the Moody College of Communication where he was Dean from 2004-2015.

List of Tables List of Contributors Introduction Chapter 1: Make Politics Your Passion Roderick P. Hart Part 1: Make History Functional Chapter 2: Let's Find a Usable Past Jill A. Edy Chapter 3: Understand Your Moment in Time David A. Crockett Chapter 4: Heed the Prophetic Voice Theon E. Hill Chapter 5: Experiment With Playful Protest Tiffany Lewis Part 2: Exploit Human Capacities Chapter 6: Let Consensus Overcome Polarization Marc C. Hetherington Chapter 7: Use Emotion Wisely Bethany Albertson Chapter 8: Explore the Reasons for Incivility Emily Sydnor Chapter 9: Tell the Story of Poverty Eunji Kim Chapter 10: Imagine New Political Coalitions Vincent N. Pham Part 3: Open Your Mind Chapter 11: Listen to the First Amendment Lisbeth A. Lipari Chapter 12: Hear the Presidency Differently Vanessa Beasley Chapter 13: Fix the "Cancel Culture" Mentality Shawn J. Parry-Giles Chapter 14: Cultivate Empathy for Outgroups Nicholas A. Valentino Part 4: Confront the Establishment Chapter 15: Counter a Reactive Media System Dhavan Shah, Yini Zhang, Jon Pevehouse, and Sebastián Valenzuela Chapter 16: Create a Watchdog Branch of Government J. H. Snider Chapter 17: Modernize Health-Care Decision-Making Amy Bunger Chapter 18: Give Election Apps More Integrity Jessica Baldwin-Philippi Chapter 19: Shake Up the FCC Bartholomew H. Sparrow Part 5: Upgrade Political Campaigns Chapter 20: Study the Electorate Thoroughly Daron R. Shaw Chapter 21: Talk About Voters Thoughtfully Sharon E. Jarvis Chapter 22: Vote When Voting Really Counts John C. Tedesco Chapter 23: Make Ads Safe for Democracy Glenn W. Richardson Jr. Chapter 24: Let's Outperform Super PACs Robert Klotz Part 6: Reimagine Traditional Journalism Chapter 25: Address Journalism's Crisis Boldly Regina G. Lawrence Chapter 26: Measure Newsroom Effectiveness Differently Natalie (Talia) Jomini Stroud and Yujin Kim Chapter 27: Publicly Subsidize Journalism David M. Ryfe Chapter 28: Report on Terrorism Responsibly Scott L. Althaus Chapter 29: Challenge Fox News Jeffrey P. Jones Conclusion Chapter 30: Enliven Your Civic Capacities Susan Nold