"When the presidential candidates continuously question each other's veracity, listeners are unable to determine if their policies, decisions, and positions are adequately founded intruth. The candidates are having trouble getting past questions of fact," said John Adams, a professor of communication at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y.
"By far, perhaps, the most important new role in the swirl of the debates is the 'Factchecker' who may be Googling the candidates' assertions as they speak them, and who is prepared post-debate to tally up the inaccuracies so we can decide which candidate is least mistaken or least deceptive," Adams said.
John Adams has a Ph.D. in speech communication from the University of Washington with a specialization in rhetoric and public address. Adams has written extensively on the intersection of rhetoric, religion, and education. Among the media outlets that have interviewed and quoted Adams recently are Voice of America, CBS MarketWatch and the Associated Press. He regularly produces opinion pieces on issues related to the rhetoric of politics for newspapers and radio.
Adams is currently working with a Hamilton student on a project exploring the rhetorical dynamics of cell phone video. Adams will be presenting a paper on the topic of rhetoric and political humor at the National Communication Association Convention, November, 2004.
His book, Delightful Conviction: Jonanthan Edwards and the Rhetoric of Conversion, co-authored with Stephen Yarbrough, received the Eastern Communication Association's Everett Lee Hunt Award. Adams has taught courses in speechwriting, rhetorical criticism, history of rhetoric, advanced public speaking, history of American public address, communication theory, persuasion, and communication ethics at Hamilton College and Syracuse University.
