The Republic Is Talking: How Media Has Shaped American Political Life from the Early Republic to the Digital Age

Featuring

[Opening Remarks] Sabrina Schaeffer, Vice President, Public Affairs, R Street Institute 

[Moderator] Mark Dalton, Senior Policy Director, Technology and Innovation, R Street Institute

Jonah Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief, The Dispatch

Carolyn Eastman, Professor of History, Virginia Commonwealth University

Seth Cotlar, Professor of History, Willamette University

Overview

How has the American media shaped our political culture from the creation of the Republic to the digital age? At a moment when debates about trust, polarization, and civic identity dominate national conversation, R Street brings together leading scholars and a prominent journalist to explore the roots of our media environment and discuss what it means for democracy today.

This panel will trace the transformation of American public discourse from the pamphlets, newspapers, and oratory that helped forge a new nation to the 21st-century platforms that now define how citizens encounter information, form political identities, and engage in public life. By placing today’s media challenges in historical context, the conversation aims to illuminate what has changed, what has endured, and how Americans might rebuild a healthier political culture.

What We’ll Explore

• How media created America’s first “public”
• The evolution of political persuasion from the 18th century to the present
• The rise of partisanship, identity politics, and narrative framing
• How digital platforms reshape civic engagement and what remains familiar
• Lessons from history that can help strengthen democratic culture today