Josh Scacco (CCT ’10) Publishes Book With Oxford University Press

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In March of 2021, former CCT student Josh Scacco co-authored his first book titled “The Ubiquitous Presidency: Presidential Communication and Digital Democracy in Tumultuous Times.” This book, published with the Oxford University Press, explores the historical and contemporary evolution of presidential communication practices, presents a framework for researchers and readers to make sense of past and future strategic messaging from the White House, assesses media coverage and public attitudes toward changes in presidential outreach, and offers a set of ways that key institutional and individual actors (e.g., government leaders, journalists, social media companies, constituents) can hold presidents accountable for their words. 

This timely book is the product of intertwining his interest in the media with an interest in politics which has guided his academic and professional careers. Josh received an undergraduate education from Juniata College in Pennsylvania where he studied Political Communication. Prior to CCT, Josh also applied his interests to his career serving as a Legislative Aide in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 

CCT provided Josh the opportunity to further pursue his interests and work with stellar faculty in political communication while working on Capitol Hill for a U.S. Senator. According to him, CCT helped cement the importance of taking interdisciplinary approaches to answering contemporary political challenges and questions. His advisor, Prof. Owen, had a special impact on his time in the program, encouraging him to see multiple perspectives on a research topic while employing a rigorous set of quantitative methods and conceptual approaches. It was during his master’s thesis writing that the first ideas of what would later become “The Ubiquitous Presidency” first appeared. Diana allowed Josh to first pursue those ideas. 

While at CCT Josh also served as a Teaching Assistant and was a student member of two faculty search committees. Reflecting on the role of CCT in his path to success, Josh feels that Prof. Owen’s mentorship, as well as the broader philosophy of the CCT program, continue to inspire his career. Currently, he is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of South Florida where he also serves as a Faculty Researcher with the USF-Nielsen Sunshine State Survey and as a Faculty Research Associate with the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin. Josh continues to center his research and teaching around political communication, media content and effects, and quantitative research methods. Today he has published more than 50 academic articles, book chapters, and public research papers as well as provided commentary for national and local news outlets. 

To learn more about Josh’s newest work, “The Ubiquitous Presidency,” visit here.