Crosstalk: Citizens, Candidates, and the Media in a Presidential Campaign (American Politics and Political Economy Series) (Hardcover)

~ Marion R. Just (Author), (Author), (Author), (Author) "Elections constitute critical moments in democracy, when citizens have an opportunity to talk back to political elites..." (more)
Key Phrases: political information environment, candidate interview programs, general election ads, Los Angeles, George Bush, Bill Clinton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The most comprehensive portrait of a presidential campaign in more than a decade, Crosstalk focuses on the 1992 U.S. presidential race and looks at how citizens use information in the media to make their voting decisions and how politicians and the media interact to shape that information.

Examining political advertisements, news coverage, ad watches, and talk shows in Los Angeles, Boston, Winston-Salem, and Fargo/Moorhead, the authors chart the impact of different information environments on citizens and show how people developed images of candidates over the course of the campaign. Crosstalk presents persuasive evidence that campaigns do matter, that citizens are active participants in the campaign process, and their perceptions of a candidate's character is the central factor in the voting process.

This innovative study contributes significantly to our understanding of the 1992 presidential campaign and of campaigns in general, and shows how election campaigns can play an important role in the long-term vitality of democracy.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 324 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (June 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226420205
• ISBN-13: 978-0226420202
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,140,460 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Primary Colors, May 24, 2000

By	John B. Maggiore (Buffalo, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Crosstalk: Citizens, Candidates, and the Media in a Presidential Campaign (American Politics and Political Economy Series) (Paperback)

"Crosstalk" is a useful compilation of academic papers on communications during the presidential campaign of 1992. The foci are on campaign discourse, public, candidate and media agendas, and voting. I characterize this book as "useful," not "compelling," "engaging," or "stimulating" because it is none of those things. It is not a non-fiction version of "Primary Colors," nor is it a campaign journal like "The Making of the President," or any sort of linear story at all. If you are reading this book, there's a good chance it has been assigned in a class, you are doing research or you are a political scientist yourself. If this is the case, "Crosstalk" is certainly the best academic treatment of its subjects that I have come across thus far.

"Crosstalk" is packed with facts, charts, interviews, endnotes and references. It is meticulous in its methodology. Many of the observations about the 1992 election are useful in observing the current (2000) race.

"Crosstalk's" major shortcoming is that it is unnecessarily dry. A campaign is full of anecdotes, has a natural story line, and many dramatic moments. There's no reason, except possible maintaining academic propriety, that the book needs to read like a biological journal. The human element is injected through interviews with voters, but the effect comes across like the voters are specimens. They come off as amusingly ignorant.

But "Crosstalk" is not about narrative. It's about political science. And it serves its purpose well. While "Crosstalk" may not make the short list of political pleasure readings, it should be right up there as a source for academic purposes.