US voters 'going online for news'

[cal04]

Nearly half of Americans online have used the web to get information about the upcoming US presidential election. That is double the number who used the net during the 2000 campaign according to research group, the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Americans are increasingly going online for political news and commentary, its report found. It suggests that the web is playing a positive role in democratic debate on a wide range of issues.

Instead, internet users are exposed to more political points of view and more arguments against the things they support. That should be heartening to those who are concerned about the future of democratic debate," he said.

More than 40% of online American had got news and information about the presidential campaign from the web, the survey found. Television remains the primary source of information but 31% of broadband users cited the internet as their main source of information about the US election. The internet is exposing more Americans to different points of view, said Kelly Garret, co-author of the report. "People are using the internet to broaden their political horizons, not narrow them," she said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3955569.stm

[knowbody0]

1. weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[Sin]

4. If * is reslected

Im shure there will be a crack down on the net in some way
stateing that its meeting ground for evil doers and it must be watched more closely then it all ready is.

So terra won't spread to all the other internets of course :)

[BootinUp]

7. The GOP wants a corporate controlled internet

And the ISP's want more control over our choices as well. This is a battle that will be fought in the future.

[NMDemDist2]

2. an anecdotal report from Phoenix

my two doors down neighbor was out the other day and since I so rarely see him I stopped and chatted for a few minutes

seems I never see him anymore cuz he got laid off from the Phone company after 18 years and was working 2nd shift as a phone rep for a credit card company (at 1/3 his previous wage)

he is voting Kerry and mentioned he gets all his news on the Internet. He specifically mentioned the Guardian and the Sydney Morning Herald

[GinaMaria]

3. Maybe they are looking for the InternetS

Actually, This is a very good thing. TV and radio are too slanted to the right. The Internet offers the average Joe and Jane a place to voice their opinions. Seems like it improves democracy.

[RaRa]

5. We moved from downtown Chicago to Repuke farmland

in Illinois. While I do miss cable (love those Law&Order reruns) we're on a tight budget and had to decide between cable TV and high speed internet. It was a no brainer. I would whither away and die without my access to REAL news. I wrote off CNN during the Iraqi invasion and haven't looked back. It's simply a crime that people don't have access to all the facts...tv is such a pathetic joke (short of John Stewart, whom I miss terribly) that broadband internet should be available to everyone.

[Chicago Democrat]

6. Where are you... How is it going?

I was thinking of retiring in Carbondale or maybe Beloit or some rural place.

[Mokito]

8. You could still visit John on comedycentral.com from time to time.

[flying_blind]

9. Great News Sites -

http://informationclearinghouse.info/

http://independent-media.tv/

[steely]

10. I was surprised to find some of my coworkers browsing

news sites during breaks - it felt great to sort of come out of the closet and compare notes - using references to guardian, etc, instead of faux.

[WordSalad]

11. This being the case, would it not be possible to initiate a HUGE campaign

to make sure EVERYONE is in possession of these two basic facts, before they go to the polls on Tuesday:

1. There were no wmd in Iraq. And Bush has acknowledged there were no wmd. (Someone would need to find a right wing source of a Bush quote making this acknowledgement.)

2. There was no connection between Saddam and Iraq and the attack on us on 9/11. And Bush has acknowledged there was no connection. (Someone would need to find a right wing source of a Bush quote making this acknowledgement.)

Would this help? Because even thought there are more people getting more information from the internet these days, it appears that they are not getting the CRITICAL information which they need in order to vote responsibly. Could it be done? If right wing sources for the quotes were found, and I'm sure they could be, that would be more persuasive.

It just kills me that the election may be decided by people who just haven't gotten the story straight, even WITH the increased use of the internet.

OR here is an alternative:
Do a last minute tv ad campaign of the above. Not sarcastic, not satirical (although I realize it will be hard to keep it that way), just very low key, and featuring somebody in a reassuring voice saying did you know that...(the two issues above) and then footage of Bush stating what we political junkies have all heard him say, but which appears to be below the radar of the majority of voters, if the reports are correct.

I am very new here and I hope this is the right place to post this. Should I post it elsewhere as well? (election 2004 forum, activist forum?) Please let me know. Thanks!

[WordSalad]

13. Partially answering my own question...

There really are, I realize, folks on tv who are doing this, albeit in a somewhat different way than I envisioned.

One is moveon, with their ad featuring GWB making jokes about looking for weapons, then cutting to the young woman who says her brother was killed hunting for weapons.

The other is this group:
http://realvoices.org/rv/index.html
They have a brutally honest ad showing a mother crying over the loss of her son, asking how does it feel to watch the 9/11 commission hearings and realize there was no connection between 9/11 and Iraq. Very powerful.

The thing I have wondered is if it might also work to have a low-key kind of ad, featuring GWB himself, saying the truth that so many people seem not to be aware of. It might work better for some people just to see GWB HIMSELF make the case to them.

Am I in the right place to be posting this?

[DeepModem Mom]

12. kick

[bpilgrim]

14. Thank Gore he 'INVENTED' the Internet!

:evilgrin:

psst... pass the word ;->

peace

[Tuttle]

15. I thank him with every post

Not that I post a huge amount -- quality not quantity!

Tut-tut

[bpilgrim]

16. ditto

though i am lacking on the quality ;->

:hi:

peace