Research Shows Bloggers Do It Better

Have you been puzzled about the mainstream media's reactions to the internet and to blogs? The Pew Internet and Ameican Life Project has released the results of a study on the effects of the internet on the distribution of political news.

Oct. 27, 2004 — Political junkies of all stripes have gotten much of their news and political commentary during this year's campaign from online sources, and a new survey finds the Internet is contributing to a wider awareness of political views.

The study released today by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, in collaboration with the University of Michigan School of Information, concludes that an often-expressed worry that people would use the Internet only to seek information that reinforces their political preferences has not held true.

Rather, the study found that Internet users have greater overall exposure to political arguments, including those that challenge their candidate preferences and their positions on key issues.

This shows clearly that people who are interested in hearing more than the surface details of one side of the political spectrum are going to look beyond the mainstream media.

There was also a set of numbers that has to have the print media feeling a little uneasy:

The current survey found that television remains the primary source of information for campaign arguments and points of view about the Iraq war, same-sex marriage and free trade. At the same time, 31 percent of broadband users now cite the Internet as their main source, nearly the same number as those who say they rely on newspapers (35 percent).

Perhaps this is why a publication like the New York Times seems to be willing to shed any pretense at objectivity and integrity in the hopes that the election of their candidate will allow them to lay claim to some level of relevance.

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at 10:11 AM | No Comments | Add Comment