La Salle University Communication and Political Science Departments Semester of Politics and Civic Engagement FALL 2004
During the Fall, 2004 semester, the Communication Department is teaming with the Political Science Department to develop a Semester of Politics and Civic Engagement. While the 2004 Presidential Election offers an appropriate backdrop to the fall theme, the semester is more than just a look at the election process. It’s also about how citizens and groups of all kinds participate in the public process of solving community problems. This site offers additional resources for those interested in exploring the semester’s themes. You’ll find links to sites about: Statements on Communication and Democracy A schedule of events for the semester, as well as speaker biographies The leading presidential candidates Major news and information sources Public Opinion Polls Political Advertising News-making advocacy groups Groups that attempt to verify the facts in political arguments Encouraging voter participation and engagement Assessing your political beliefs DISCLAIMER: The links on this site will take you outside of La Salle University. The viewpoints expressed on those sites do not necessarily reflect those of La Salle University, the Department of Communication, or the site manager, and we are not responsible for their content.
Communication and Democracy	Click here for the National Communication Association’s statement on the connection between communication and democracy
Schedule of Events	Click here for a schedule of major events
Speaker Biographies	Jane Eisner, Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist. Read her bio and a collection of her recent columns. Trudy Rubin, “Worldview” Columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Read a collection of her recent columns. Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Director, Annenberg Center for Public Policy NOW Biography—Dr. Jamieson makes regular appearances on NOW, a PBS news and analysis program Penn Vitae –A brief review of Dr. Jamieson’s research and awards Annenberg Public Policy Center—Dr. Jamieson heads this research and advocacy institute. Books by Dr. Jamieson available in Connelly Library
Major Political Candidates	These sites are the official candidate sites. They each feature candidate profiles, issue position statements, lots of multimedia, and ways to become involved with the campaign
		George W. Bush site John Kerry site Ralph Nader
News/Information Sources	These sites represent a variety of viewpoints on the election and candidates. Several sites feature information about third-party candidates as well as local races and major ballot issues. CNN “America Votes 2004” Fox News “You Decide 2004” Time Magazine Election 2004 Congressional Quarterly Databases from Connelly Library Congressional Quarterly is an authoritative news source about Capital Hill happenings, including legislation. United States Election Project: George Mason University site with information on voter profiles and behavior. P2004: Democracy in Action: A comprehensive portal to online news and information about the races, the issues, the media coverage and voters. Hosted by George Washington University. League of Women Voters: This group may sound like a vestige of the suffragist movement, but the League offers one of the more comprehensive databases of local politicians’ positions on issues. Searchable by state.
Public Opinion	Gallup Poll Election 2004 The Voice of the People. Some of the content on this site is restricted, but you can read press releases about the latest Gallup polls. The Harris Poll Like Gallup, the Harris Poll tracks public attitudes toward issues as well as presidential approval ratings. Roper Center for Public Opinion Research The Roper Poll also tracks public attitudes. This site offers a nice introduction to the art and science of public opinion polling.
Political Advertising	The Living Room Candidate Sponsored by the American Museum of the Moving Image, this site features campaign commercials from 1952-2004.
Newsworthy Advocacy Groups or Agencies	Some of the organizations listed here have made the news for either the claims they made or the way in which they’ve made the claims. Others are agencies responsible for newsworthy things during the campaign. Several of these groups represent the so-called “529” Groups, which were given new freedom to spend money on issue advertising following recent campaign finance reforms. As with any advocacy group, viewers should be aware that theses are sites that use a variety of strategies to persuade—some of which might involve interpreting or misinterpreting information to support a viewpoint. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth This group’s controversial anti-Kerry ads aired only for awhile, but have generated a tremendous amount of media attention. MoveOn.org This group was partly funded by George Soros, a millionaire who put out a call for anti-Bush groups to develop campaigns that he would underwrite. Michael Moore: This site features information about Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore’s controversial movie about the Iraqi War, and his rebuttals to those who question the accuracy of his movie’s claims. 9-11 Commission: This is the site for the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States, informally known as the 9-11 Commission. On this site, you will find the Commission’s report about the events leading to the attacks, as well as recommendations for changes in national security policy and practice. An interesting new project is the Project on Public Discourse, meant to encourage national discussion about the threat of terrorism. Commission on Presidential Debates: This is the agency that is organizing the presidential and vice presidential debates. Includes a history of presidential debates, transcripts of the current debates, and a way to organization Debate Watch, a party in which you can voice your opinion about the debates.
Political Communication Criticism	Spinsanity Web Site The Spinsanity feature runs every Thursday in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The group double-checks the claims made by all sides in the Presidential election, and puts those claims into context in order to assess their accuracy. FactCheck: A site sponsored by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Examines claims made in ads, speeches, and other forums. Columbia Journalism Review “Campaign Desk”: A site that evaluations media coverage of the presidential campaign. PEW Research Center for the People and the Press
Getting Involved	Federal Election Commission: The FEC oversees all federal election practices in the United States. The agency’s responsibilities range from voter registration to campaign commercial financing. The controversy surrounding the 2000 Presidential Election heightened the importance of the FEC’s role in guaranteeing participation in the electoral process. The four groups listed below are all meant to help younger voters become involved in the political process. In addition, they also provide a forum for learning more about issues. New Voters’ Project Youth NOISE! MTV Rock the Vote! Project Vote Smart Advertising Council: For over 50 years, the Advertising Council (a coalition of advertising and PR agencies that volunteer their time and talent) has sponsored public service campaigns. The following are current campaigns aimed at educating citizens about democracy and encouraging participation: First Amendment Freedoms Youth Civic Engagement Youth Voter Participation Association of American Colleges and Universities: This site provides and overview of resources available for faculty and others interested in exploring the issues of civic education, civic engagement, and voter participation. Courtesy Sabrina DeTurk. Tell an American to Vote: This is a site devoted to encouraging Americans living abroad to vote. The site claims that more than 7 million Americans living abroad failed to vote in the last election.
Assessing Political Beliefs and Other Fun Stuff	Political Compass My sister-in-law introduced me to this site, which allows you to identify where you stand politically (and then discusses what all those terms like “left” and “moderate” mean. President Match: No, this isn’t Match.com (although there are some sites out there that will match conservatives with conservatives and so on…), but rather a site that allows individuals to figure out which candidate best matches their views as well as do a side-by-side comparision of the candidates on various issues. Political Machine: This is the Web site for a video game that, in the tradition of “The Sims” and “Roller Coaster Tycoon,” takes you through the Presidential campaign process. You can choose your candidates, take positions on issues, get polling data, and choose media strategies in this game. One plus is that the polling data is based on actual public opinion polls, and can be updated.
Site created and maintained by Michael Smith. Updated October 22, 2004