Overview

Political advertising plays a key role in modern electioneering and has formed part of political campaigns since the earliest federal elections were held in the United States. As modes of mass communication have evolved, so have the venues for campaign advertising—from newspapers to radio and television, and today, the Internet. Not only have the outlets for political advertising expanded over the past twenty years, so have the number of groups using it to convey information and advance their points of view. Because political advertising has become such a pervasive medium for candidates, political parties, and special interest groups, understanding its role in election campaigns becomes all the more important. Crowded Airwaves gathers some of the most significant new work in American political advertising and communication. The contributors provide an objective and balanced analysis of political advertising: its causes, its growth, and its consequences on elections in the United States. The chapters in this volume tackle three of the most interesting and most complicated issues in political advertising today: the characterization of ads and the need to measure their impact; the agenda-setting and priming effects of ads; and the role and implications of issue advertising for the electorate. The contributors focus in particular on the effects and consequences of negative advertising. Crowded Airwaves will appeal to readers who are interested in political campaigns and communication. It will be of special importance to those concerned with the tone and content of electoral campaigns and political discourse.

Full Product Details

9780815784555

Table of Contents

Reviews

The six chapters contributed by researchers other than the authors are deceptively slim, but provide the reader with a wealth of information... Taken together, the research in this book helps to redfine the field of political advertising. -- International Journal of Public Opinion Research This is an ambitious agenda, but the book makes some important contributions to the literature on campaigns and on political ads specifically. --Karen M. Kedrowski, Winthrop University, American Political Science Review, vol. 96, no. 1

"""The six chapters contributed by researchers other than the authors are deceptively slim, but provide the reader with a wealth of information.... Taken together, the research in this book helps to redfine the field of political advertising."" — International Journal of Public Opinion Research |""This is an ambitious agenda, but the book makes some important contributions to the literature on campaigns and on political ads specifically."" —Karen M. Kedrowski, Winthrop University, American Political Science Review, vol. 96, no. 1"

Author Information

James A. Thurber is University Distinguished Professor of Government and Founder (1979) and Former Director (1979-2016) of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University in Washington, D.C. He is also an Affiliate Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Public Administration and Policy. Thurber is author or editor of over twenty books and more than 90 articles and chapters on Congress, the U.S. presidency, interest groups and lobbying, and campaigns and elections. Dr. Thurber has been honored as the American University’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year and was selected Scholar/Teacher of the Year and received the Walter Beach Pi Sigma Alpha American Political Science Association award for his work combining applied and academic research.

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