W Joseph Campbell, American University School of Communication Archives

Author: W Joseph Campbell, American University School of Communication

Author

W Joseph Campbell, American University School of Communication

Dr. W. Joseph Campbell is a professor emeritus of communication at American University in Washington, D.C.

He joined the AU faculty in 1997, after some 20 years as a professional journalist. Assignments in his award-winning journalism career took him across North America to Europe, West Africa, and parts of Asia.

Campbell is the author of seven books, including most recently "Lost in a Gallup: Polling Failure in U.S. Presidential Elections." The book addresses prominent cases in which opinion polls misfired from 1936 to 2020.

Campbell's other books include "1995: The Year the Future Began," which describes watershed moments of a decisive year in American history. Critics have described "1995" as "remarkable" and "compulsively readable." Campbell also has published two editions of the media-mythbusting book, "Getting It Wrong" (2010, 2017). The book won the national Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi award for research about journalism.

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Woman with children walks past polling stations to cast vote.

Elections, Featured Story

I Study Polling Failures – This Time, Pollsters Were Mostly Right, if Not Precise

by W Joseph Campbell, American University School of Communication November 9, 2026

2026 Midterm Polls Correctly Predicted the Democratic Shift, Even if They Missed Some Margins The crucial test for preelection polls is whether they broadly indicate... Read more.

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Frozen Talks on ICE Tactics

Senate Democrats Surrender Shutdown Fight, Leaving Health Care and Aid at Risk

Shutdown Politics We Understand

David Cay Johnston: Trump’s Latest Attack on Environmental Protections

The Hidden History of How Big Oil Invented the American Dream

3 Iconic Animals Show the Value of the US Endangered Species Act – And the Harm in Stripping It Away

Trump Administration Says Accidental Killing of Endangered Species Is Not Illegal

Why Military Black Eyes Will Happen More

Hegseth Made the Fitness Test Harder for Women in Combat Roles. Most Female Marines Are Passing

There’s no ‘T’ in War

Inside the Pentagon: Why Concerns Are Growing Over Trump’s Military Leadership Moves

The Hidden History of How Big Oil Invented the American Dream

Next Hurdle: Home Heating Oil

They’re Making Record Profits, but Oil Companies Still Won’t ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’

Blowing Away Wind Farms

The American War Crimes Dilemma ‘The West Wing’ Saw Coming

Trump Sides With Putin, Undermines Russian Sanctions and Defies Congress

Why the U.S. Must Extend Temporary Protected Status for Sudan

Does Trump Know What He is Doing?

The GOP Candidates Walking Back Some of Their Abortion Stances

Medicare Costs Are Rising in 2027. Here’s What Seniors Need to Know

How Your Medical Bills Get Paid After a Crash

For Families of Medically Fragile Children, A Policy Change Threatens the Care They Need At Home

The Navajo Nation Is Set To Have Its First Woman President

I Study Polling Failures – This Time, Pollsters Were Mostly Right, if Not Precise

Raid Finder, Normal, Heroic, Mythic: Climbing a WoW Raid Step by Step

What Choosing Stephen Miller Says

Author: W Joseph Campbell, American University School of Communication

Author

I Study Polling Failures – This Time, Pollsters Were Mostly Right, if Not Precise