"The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference and undernourishment."
Robert Hutchins
Analysis and Perspective
It's easy to follow campaign news; it's harder to figure out what it all means. Go beyond horse-race coverage with PBS's news and public affairs programs; get insight into how people around the world view the American election; and hear from election experts and enthusiasts who celebrate the democracy of the Internet with self-published Web logs, or "blogs." And when you need a break, don't miss our links to the lighter side of election coverage.
Feature reporting
Blogs
A View from Abroad
Humor
Interactive election coverage
An overview of some of the most interesting electronic election reporting.
--Submitted 06.21.04 by Liz K., Washington, DC
The Blogging of the President
The site claims to "document the role of the blog in the presidential campaign of 2004."
--Submitted 04.30.04 by Jess, Alexandria
Good compendium of links
Terry Dean, Librarian at the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC-Berkeley compiled this list last year, but it holds up. Dean offers links in the following categories: tracking the money, media sites and political opinion sites.
--Submitted 03.24.04 by Theresa Riley, NYC
NOW with Bill Moyers
PBS's award winning newsweekly is pulling together all of its election year coverage into one place. Visit their Election 2004 area for in-depth reports on the governing behind the election.
Washington Week
Throughout the election year, Gwen Ifill will deconstruct what is going on in the campaign with a panel of noted journalists. You can find the full transcript of the program and various tools for citizenship on their Web
Wall $treet Week with FORTUNE
The economy is likely to be a significant issue during the Presidential contest. Stay up to date on the latest Wall Street happenings with Wall Street Week.
FRONTLINE
Every four years, FRONTLINE has some of the most celebrated and informative election programming around. This year they will once again feature their election year keystone, "The Choice 2004," which offers in-depth bios and analysis of the two candidates vying for the Presidency.
FRONTLINE/World
A U.S. election isn't just about what is happening in the U.S.. September 11th raised the importance of foreign news for many Americans and FRONTLINE/World tells viewers what they need to know, investigating important stories from abroad that all Americans should hear about.
Wide Angle
Globalization has brought home to Americans that national security and economic issues aren't just affected by what we do at home. Wide Angle brings home the best international documentaries, every week.
Tavis Smiley
Throughout the election season you can look to Tavis Smiley to bring you a mix of news, issues and entertainment including interviews with newsmakers, politicians, celebrities and real people. Tavis will keep you informed.
Flashpoints U.S.A. with Bryant Gumbel and Gwen Ifill
Flashpoints U.S.A. takes a laser-like look deep into some of the most complicated issues facing citizens this election year. Viewers are treated to intelligent analysis and a dynamic pairing of two of the most respected names in journalism.
P.O.V.
If politics is personal, then P.O.V. is as political as it gets. P.O.V. showcases independent documentaries and some of the most innovative programming and web reporting available. Throughout the year you will find stories of individuals that may just make you rethink what the country should do collectively.
RhodesCook.com
Analysis of the ongoing election process from a former political writer for the
Congressional Quaterly. Rhodes analyzes a host of otherwise missed stories including the "invisible primary" and the impact of "red" and "blue" America.
AOL Election Guide 2004
AOL has put together an interesting overview site with some great features. Daily news, humour, insider information, original commentary, a president match tool, many polls and detailed results. This is available to non AOL members too.
--Submitted 02.18.04 by Jonathan Meyers, Kensington, MD
You say you don't even know what a blog is?
Read CampaignsOnline's January report that describes blogging and analyzes its increasing prominence in this year's election. You can also read accounts from both the New York Times and USA Today about the importance of blogging in this year's campaigns. Finally, Minnesota Public Radio ran a special called "Blogging for President" on January 25th. Explore the phenomenon yourself. We have assembled a list of some of the most often cited blogs - the ones that have won awards or are frequently referenced by others. Feel free to browse our list and suggest any additional blogs that you find compelling.
Blogs by Experts
The blogs below, which are in no particular order, are all written by people who would traditionally be thought of as experts. They write for noted national publications or they hold advanced degrees from Universities in the subjects about which they write. Some are even formalized as a part of a larger Web publication.
The Daily Dish at andrewsullivan.com.
A blog written by the former editor of The New Republic.
Tom Paine's Common Sense.
The liberal online political journal shares political tidbits from around the web.
The Corner from the National Review
This blog comes from a number of writers for the conservative monthly.
Kausfiles at Slate.com
Billed as a "mostly political Weblog", this blog comes from Mickey Kaus, noted writer for Slate.com.
The Opinion Journal of the Wall Street Journal
The editorial writers of the Wall Street Journal collectively write and edit this blog.
Lessig Blog
The noted Stanford Law School professor, founder of the Stanford Center for Internet and Society and proponent of open-access to the web gathers his favorite web tidbits together.
Brad DeLong
Written by a Professor of Economics at the University of California-Berkeley who also writes frequently for high-profile publications like the New York Times and Wired, this political blog does a nice job of discussing economic issues in layman's terms.
InstaPundit
This is a blog written by a law professor at the University of Tennessee with a particular interest in the intersection between advanced technologies and individual liberties.
Blog by Enthusiasts
These blogs are all written by people who would not conventionally be called experts. Instead, they are enthusiasts with wit, passion and a certain point of view that they wish to share. This could obviously, have been a very long list, but we narrowed it down to the ones that seemed to be cited most often by others as credible and interesting.
Sometimes foreign coverage has a very different analysis of an election event. Below are some of the foreign press outlets that have significant coverage of American politics. As with all these links, your own suggestions are welcome
BBC: Vote USA 2004
This BBC roundup includes profiles of potential new first ladies, analysis of the election, at-a-glance info, profiles, video and easy guides to how the American system works.
The Economist Magazine
The online companion site to the award-winning monthly magazine, The Economist.com features analysis of world business and current affairs with a strong focus on the U.S. and England. They don't have a dedicated election site, but they do provide extensive reporting.
Daily Papers in the U.K.
All feature some U.S. political news from their home pages. Their reporting can provide fresh insight on campaign stories.
The Daily Telegraph. London, England
The Guardian. London, England.
The Onion
The award-winning satirical newspaper has put together an election glossary that is certainly unlike any other.
The Daily Show: Indecision 2004
The web companion to one of Comedy Central's most watched program, its satirical news broadcast with Jon Stewart.
About.com: Political humor.
About.com offers a roundup of political humor from around the web.
This Modern World
Visit the website for cartoonist Tom Tomorrow
AOL Election Guide 2004
AOL has put together an interesting overview site with some great features. Daily news, humour, insider information, original commentary, a president match tool, many polls and detailed results. This is available to non AOL members too.
--Submitted 02.18.04 by Jonathan Meyers, Kensington, MD
Deciding Votes | The Savvy Voter | Web Roundup
Election Glossary | For Kids, Parents and Teachers
About This Site | Site Credits | pbs.org Privacy Policy
Copyright © 1995 - 2005 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). All rights reserved.