Political Press

I think it would be hard for any voter to not be interested in this year's election. Between the milestones of an African-American on the Democratic ticket and a woman on the Republican ticket, it seems the whole world is watching. 

Personally, I am watching through CNN and my hometown newspaper's website, Oregonlive.com. 

CNN

Like many of the others who have posted before me, I think CNN delivers quality content, especially when it comes to the presidential debates. I watched the debates on CNN, and even after 90 minutes of debate, I still wanted to watch CNN's analysis for the next 2 or 3 hours. 

One of my favorite parts of the post-debate show is where they gauge a test audience's reaction to what the candidates are saying. Some of the reactions where not what I expected, and the difference between men and women was interesting to see. 

Other things CNN offered after the debates:

• Analysis from political experts (sometimes clearly biased)
• Electoral maps 
• Interactive screens with reactions from viewers
• Interviews with the test audience for their opinions and thoughts

Oregonlive.com

As a native Oregonian, I like to keep up with what's going on at home. I'm also a registered Oregon voter, so it helps when I have to fill out my ballot. Sure, I care about what happens with the propositions in California, but there's nothing I can really do about them. So I focus on what I can vote on. 

Oregonlive.com is set up more like a blog than a news website. In the politics section, it lists the first 2 or 3 grafs of a story, with the most recent story first. You can click on the headline to keep reading, or just skim the beginning of each story. 

A site like this really benefits from online news writing methods. Oregonlive.com uses:

• Big, bold headlines
• Short sentences
• The most important information at the top (for those who don't continue to read)
• Pictures throughout to break up story after story
• Links on the side to other election news

The site can get a little bogged down from everything going on, especially in the sidebars. But when I want to know more about a ballot measure, or a candidate running for attorney general, Oregonlive.com is my automatic source. 

Influence

Portland is a pretty liberal city, so naturally the news media often skews in that direction. They generally do a good job of being unbiased, but personal politics are bound to come through. For CNN, I think they do a decent job of balancing conservative and liberal views.

However, I think news sources play a significant role in persuading voters. As balanced as a source may be, the very stories they choose to cover can influence what a voter hears or reads. Sarah Palin has had much more coverage in the media than Joe Biden, and thus voters likely know more about her. Whether or not this sways them to like or dislike a candidate can vary, but in the end it likely plays a role.