WATCHING THE
WATCHERS: POLITICS AND THE PRESS
FOUR MONDAYS, 6 – 7:30 P.M.
OCTOBER 6, 13, 20, AND 27
THE MENIL COLLECTION, 1515 SUL ROSS
OCTOBER 6: PETER ROUSSEL: CAN A TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PRESIDENT
SURVIVE THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY MEDIA?
Who covers the President of the United States on a daily basis, and
how are assignments made? How have news-gathering and news generating
changed with the growing influence of electronic media? Roussel will
explore the answers.
Peter Roussel became press secretary to U.S. Rep. George Bush in 1969,
was assistant to President Gerald Ford, 1974-76, and deputy press secretary
to President Ronald Reagan, 1981-87. His recently published first novel,
Ruffled Flourishes, explores the often-raucous relationship
between the White House and the press.
OCTOBER 13: BARTHOLOMEW SPARROW:
UNDERSTANDING POLITICS AND POLICYMAKING IN A WORLD OF INFORMATION OVERLOAD
When news is available 24/7, how are we to make sense of it all? How
do the large and complex organizations that produce political news affect
the quality and quantity of what we read and hear? Professor Sparrow
suggests how to understand contemporary politics and assess political
information.
Bartholomew Sparrow is author of Uncertain Guardians: The News Media
as a Political Institution. He is a professor of political science
at the University of Texas, Austin.
OCTOBER 20: RODERICK P. HART: FEELING GOOD ABOUT FEELING BAD
– TELEVISION’S CURIOUS LEGACY
Why is television news so often full of doom? Why does television often
invite us to disparage politics or, worse, to disregard it completely?
Professor Hart will explain the negative tone of television news.
Roderick P. Hart holds the Shivers Chair in Communication and Government
at the University of Texas, Austin, and is director of the Annette Strauss
Institute for Civic Participation. His published works include Seducing
America: How Television Charms the Modern Voter and Campaign
Talk: Why Elections are Good for Us. He has been elected to the
Academy of Distinguished Teachers at the University of Texas.
OCTOBER 27: PETER ROUSSEL: SO YOU WANT TO FOLLOW A PRESIDENTIAL
CAMPAIGN? WHAT TO WATCH FOR!
Peter Roussel has helped run campaigns for offices on many levels. He
will take us behind the scenes in the election process and will point
out factors that help predict the outcome of presidential elections.
