Sneaking into the Flying Circus

Ms. Pelosi talked about her book Sneaking Into the Flying Circus: How the Media Turn Our Presidential Campaigns into Freak Shows, published by Free Press. Alexandra Pelosi traveled with each of the 2004 Democratic contenders for president and explored the ways the media covers political campaigns. Ms. Pelosi says that media coverage has become so intense and so round-the-clock that it can actually interrupt the political process while at the same time benefiting both candidate and network. The author also makes the case that the different media outlets ask the same questions of the candidates, creating consistent sound bites but ultimately revealing little about the people behind the campaigns. She talked about media coverage of political campaigns, her experiences along the campaign trail, and perceptions of media bias. She also responded to questions and comments from members of the audience. close