Pt. I: Television and politics today. The changing face of politics on television ; Rethinking television's relationship to civic engagement
Pt. II: Entertaining political talk. From insiders to outsiders: the transformation of political talk on television ; New political television: questioning news media's regime of truth ; The competing senses of political insiders and outsiders ; Changing the conversation: The Daily Show's interviews and interrogations
Pt. III: Faking it (for real) in news and talk. Muckraking through fake newsmagazines: Michael Moore's satire TV ; Fake news vs. real news: the case of the Daily Show and CNN ; Faux real and faux play: the parody of punditry in the Colbert Report
Pt. IV: Audiences/fans/citizens. Viewer engagement beyond information acquisition: celebrity, talk, and play ; The expanding and contested boundaries of new political television
Appendix: Methodology for audience research.
