Attacking Democracy
The Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues will present “Attacking Democracy,” a lecture about the nature of negative political advertising, on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. in the Stern Center Great Room. The lecture will also be available online via a live stream.
Author John Geer of Vanderbilt University will argue that competitive political ads advance democracy by encouraging accountability and heated debate. His book, In Defense of Negativity: Attack Ads in Presidential Campaigns, is an analysis of historical and contemporary political advertising strategy. It won Harvard University’s Goldsmith Prize in 2008.
Geer’s political commentary has been featured on networks such as FOX and MSNBC. He also has written op-ed pieces for Politico, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today and Chicago Tribune. Geer is the vice provost for academic and strategic affairs at Vanderbilt, where he also serves as a distinguished lecturer and the chair of the department of political science.
This lecture is a part of the Bruce R. Andrews lecture series, which commemorates Andrews, a beloved and influential professor of political science at Dickinson who passed away in 2005. The Bruce R. Andrews Fund supports political debate and discussion in his memory.
The program is sponsored by the Bruce R. Andrews Fund, Churchill Fund and the Clarke Forum as part of its Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty series.
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Published October 20, 2015