He is the author or editor of nine books, including Twentieth Century Roots of Rhetorical Studies, Bush’s War: Media Bias and Justifications for War in the Terrorist Age and Rhetorical Criticism: Perspectives in Action. He is a former editor for the American Communication Journal. He is the recipient of the American Communication Association’s Outstanding Contribution to Communication Scholarship Award, the Southern States Communication Association’s Early Career Research Award, and Dartmouth College’s Distinguished Lecturer Award. His research interests include meta-criticism, the moral/poetic use of language, and political communication, particularly ways that the news media influence political understanding