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Welcome to the Fall 2007 Issue
This is the second to the last issue I'll publish as editor of Political Communication Report, and it shows just how much fun (no really) the job can be.
I get to learn about the issues and trends facing our field from people in the know--the chairs of our respective divisions--Gadi Wolfsfeld and Patricia Moy. Gadi has written a letter for this edition of the newsletter outlining some of the issues he'd like to discuss at the APSA division meeting in Chicago.
I get to talk with leading scholars in our field, like Scott Althaus and David Tewksbury, about their work. Scott and David have recently completed a study on how the concept of media exposure ought to be measured. The executive summary of their report is linked to the left, as is an invitation to you to respond to their work.
I get an excuse to keep apprised of new books, data resources, and grants.
Finally, I get to choose topics and recruit participants for commentaries and roundtables in every issue. For me, this has been the most fun of all. Being editor of PCR gives me an excuse to contact people doing work on issues that are of interest to me, and (I hope) to the field as a whole. It allows me to track trends, receive updates on the latest research, get experts to summarize bodies of work I'm too busy or lazy to go through myself, and meet just plain interesting folks. Over the last two years, I've easily worked with thirty or forty people in our field from all around the world whom I otherwise would never have met. It's a great networking opportunity, sure, but it's also just plain fun.
I mention all of this because PCR is in need of a new editor. Since I came from the ICA part of the family tree, we need someone from the APSA part to step up. Positions like this are often called "public service," as if we are doing someone else a favor. But I can tell you that I've gotten much more out of this job than I've put in. It really is a great way to plug yourself into the center of the field.
I won't be in attendance at APSA in Chicago. This year, the Political Communication Division has 19 panels, on subjects ranging from social networks and deliberation to blogging, to war and public opinion. The business meeting is on Friday, August 31, at 6:00 PM. In my absence, I hope someone, even several someones, come forward to take over the reins of this newsletter. If you can't make the meeting but want to express your interest, contact me personally.
This issue, I've chosen to focus our commentary and roundtable on the use of web sites in political campaigns. Since the early 1990s, use of websites by political candidates has evolved quickly. Steve Schneider and Kirsten Foote have been tracking the process almost through this entire period. Their commentary summarizes the key themes and conclusions of the literature to date. David D'Alessio, Richard Davis, and Phillip Howard explore some of these issues in more detail. It used to be that people said of websites that they would be central to the future of campaign politics. From the work of these authors, it appears that the future is now.
To the left, you will also find the usual smorgasabord of resources, from lists of upcoming meetings to recently published books, to WebArchive.org, a featured resource in this issue.
Hope your time in Chicago is useful--and even fun!
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