In short, provocative chapters, thirty-four prominent media and politics scholars address the most pressing problems facing the American people today and offer concrete solutions that inspire reflection and debate as well as action.

Roderick P. Hart holds the Shivers Chair in Communication and is Professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin, USA. He is also the founding director of the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life based in the Moody College of Communication where he was Dean from 2004-2015.

List of Tables

List of Contributors

Introduction

Chapter 1: Make Politics Your Passion

Roderick P. Hart

Part 1: Make History Functional

Chapter 2: Let's Find a Usable Past

Jill A. Edy

Chapter 3: Understand Your Moment in Time

David A. Crockett

Chapter 4: Heed the Prophetic Voice

Theon E. Hill

Chapter 5: Experiment With Playful Protest

Tiffany Lewis

Part 2: Exploit Human Capacities

Chapter 6: Let Consensus Overcome Polarization

Marc C. Hetherington

Chapter 7: Use Emotion Wisely

Bethany Albertson

Chapter 8: Explore the Reasons for Incivility

Emily Sydnor

Chapter 9: Tell the Story of Poverty

Eunji Kim

Chapter 10: Imagine New Political Coalitions

Vincent N. Pham

Part 3: Open Your Mind

Chapter 11: Listen to the First Amendment

Lisbeth A. Lipari

Chapter 12: Hear the Presidency Differently

Vanessa Beasley

Chapter 13: Fix the "Cancel Culture" Mentality

Shawn J. Parry-Giles

Chapter 14: Cultivate Empathy for Outgroups

Nicholas A. Valentino

Part 4: Confront the Establishment

Chapter 15: Counter a Reactive Media System

Dhavan Shah, Yini Zhang, Jon Pevehouse, and Sebastián Valenzuela

Chapter 16: Create a Watchdog Branch of Government

J. H. Snider

Chapter 17: Modernize Health-Care Decision-Making

Amy Bunger

Chapter 18: Give Election Apps More Integrity

Jessica Baldwin-Philippi

Chapter 19: Shake Up the FCC

Bartholomew H. Sparrow

Part 5: Upgrade Political Campaigns

Chapter 20: Study the Electorate Thoroughly

Daron R. Shaw

Chapter 21: Talk About Voters Thoughtfully

Sharon E. Jarvis

Chapter 22: Vote When Voting Really Counts

John C. Tedesco

Chapter 23: Make Ads Safe for Democracy

Glenn W. Richardson Jr.

Chapter 24: Let's Outperform Super PACs

Robert Klotz

Part 6: Reimagine Traditional Journalism

Chapter 25: Address Journalism's Crisis Boldly

Regina G. Lawrence

Chapter 26: Measure Newsroom Effectiveness Differently

Natalie (Talia) Jomini Stroud and Yujin Kim

Chapter 27: Publicly Subsidize Journalism

David M. Ryfe

Chapter 28: Report on Terrorism Responsibly

Scott L. Althaus

Chapter 29: Challenge Fox News

Jeffrey P. Jones

Conclusion

Chapter 30: Enliven Your Civic Capacities

Susan Nold