Seib examines the ethical issues underlying the volatile relationship between journalists and politicians. It provides an inside look at how reporters and candidates do their jobs. From the screening process news organizations use to decide which candidates to cover, to the truth-testing of political ads, to the controversies surrounding election night projections, this work articulates crucial ethical questions and helps readers in their search for answers. As a political communications text, Campaigns and Conscience looks at the many facets of political journalism: what reporters need to know before covering a campaign; how to approach the character issue; how to keep up with the frantic pace of a campaign; why campaign ads should be covered as news; the allure and dangers of polls, projections, and endorsements; and the responsibility of the press to cover one of the most powerful quasi-political institutions--the press itself.

PHILIP SEIB is Professor of Journalism at Southern Methodist University. He is also a columnist for the Dallas Morning News and a political analyst for WFAA Television, Dallas's ABC affiliate. He is the author of nine books, including Campaigns and Conscience: The Ethics of Political Journalism (Praeger, 1994).

Preface
What's at Stake
Journalists' Competence
The Character Issue
On the Bus
Campaign Advertising
Polls, Projections, and Endorsements
Covering the News Media
The Future...and Some Suggestions
Bibliography
Index