Inside PBS Blog

That chatter you hear is the sound of folks in PBS's corner of cyberspace sounding off about the presidential campaign.

But unlike the rest of the electorate, it seems as if users at Vote 2008 and other PBS sites are focused on the issues.

Pretty novel concept, huh?

Take the conversation at the "Now on PBS" site, where users are responding to David Branccaci's recent interview with former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.

Their chat focused on an issue that isn't getting a lot of attention this election year: poverty.

Karen Tabaka writes, "Not only is poverty a mainstay of the poor but now of growing numbers of educated, hard working and experienced people. I am frightened by this revelation. This is how evasive poverty has become that it erodes those who in the past were an avenue to help the poor out of poverty. Instead, both groups are hanging on to the same sinking lifeboat."

Casey writes, "I work for a major corporation and we're facing downsizing that is going to hurt a lot of people I know. Many of them are already living pay check to pay check and are worried about paying their mortgages. Poverty is only going to grow if we don't active steps to counter this crisis."

Poverty is also on the minds of the folks at "Bill Moyers Journal," which plans to present an investigation into the exploitation of the poor on tonight's show.

OldsterStillLearning, reacting to a preview of the report on YouTube's PBS Channel, seems pretty disgusted.

"People who prey on the less fortunate should be ashamed of themselves. Unfortunately, those predators don't seem to come equipped with a conscience," OlderStillLearning writes.

Also at YouTube, JixMa, is so fed up with politics they've declared their support for independent candidate Ralph Nader.

"A fat lot of good that'll do though, I know," JixMa writes.

"But, at least my conscience will be clear to vote for Mr. Nader who actually believes in what he says and practices what he preaches. I cannot in good conscience vote for a DemocRAT or a RePIGlican ever again! Both parties are 2 sides of the same coin!"

Of course, it isn't all politics all the time on PBS sites.

At Tavis Smiley's "Young Voices" blog, Jeremy Freed has penned a tribute to gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, who died in 2005.

"Thompson's legacy remains to inspire new generations of writers, but one can't help wish he had hung around a few years longer, to shed some light on these dark days, and help us regain some of the idealism that has been lost," Jeremy writes.

The future of the media is also on the minds of users at PBS's MediaShift blog, which examined the future of newspapers this week.

Daniel Bachhuber writes, "My opinion is that, as the journalism business evolves, it's critically important for the companies to 'own' their platform, in terms of innovation or otherwise. The platform, and how you distribute content, is a competitive advantage."

What do you think?

What issues are you interested in this election year? How do you see the journalism business evolving? Do you long for the days of Hunter Thompson's gonzo journalism?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below.