Mediating the Vote The Changing Media Landscape in U.S. Presidential Campaigns

A sea change is taking place in how people use media, and it affects not only how people perceive political candidates and where they get their information, but alsomore broadlytheir basic democratic values. Mediating the Vote explores a number of questions about media use and its relation to democratic engagement, analyzing the effects of communication forms on the 2004 presidential elections. The book contributes to an important goal in political communication studies creating a more refined, integrated, andultimatelyprecise picture of how media affects democratic engagement.

Michael Pfau is professor and chair of the Department of Communication at the University of Oklahoma