Skip to main content

TV Still Dominates Campaign Coverage

We may have presidential debates broadcast on YouTube and presidential candidates who friend young people on MySpace, but a new survey shows that the Internet has still not overtaken the almighty television as most Americans’ primary source of campaign coverage. A study from the Pew Research Center shows that local TV news remains the most popular medium for tracking campaigns, with 40 percent of Americans turning to it, more than any other form of media.

The Web, has, however, made significant strides from its small role in earlier elections. This campaign year, 24 percent of Americans say they regularly learn something  about the campaign from the Internet, giving it more weight than TV news magazines, morning TV shows, or talk radio. Previous years’ surveys reveal that just nine percent of Americans gave the Internet the same credit in 2000.

Local TV news, despite retaining dominance in the 2008 election, shows slipping figures compared to years past. The medium has fallen eight percentage points from the 2000 elections, while other media including cable news networks, morning TV shows and national public radio have gained steam.

Editors' Recommendations

Nick Mokey
As Digital Trends’ Managing Editor, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team delivering definitive reviews, enlightening…
Should you mount your TV above a fireplace?
please dont mount your tv over the fireplace 3 1500x946

Here's an experiment: Pick a real estate or interior design show -- literally any of them will do -- and look for the number of times a TV shows up mounted above a fireplace. It happens so often, it could be a drinking game. It happens so often, you might think it's a good idea. Let us be perfectly clear: it's a terrible idea.

We get it: a fireplace is often the focal point of a room, so throwing your beautiful new TV in the same location feels like the right thing to do, especially if you have limited space. Even some TV manufacturers appear to endorse the idea (just look at some of the photos in this article). But before you start drilling holes, allow us to list the many reasons we're begging you to reconsider this decision. 
Heat + electronics = bad
Seriously, TCL? TCL / TCL

Read more
Forget the Apple TV: This Roku alternative is discounted to $30
Roku Ultra 2019

We're not quite to the big day but Walmart has already started its Black Friday event so that shoppers get the chance to beat the rush. Even better, they still benefit from Black Friday prices with Walmart Black Friday deals looking pretty sweet right now. One of the best deals allows you to buy a Roku Ultra LT streaming device for only $30. Normally priced at $80, you're saving a huge $50 when you buy today. An unmissable offer, let's take a look at why you might need the Roku Ultra LT.

Why you should buy the Roku Ultra LT

Read more
Despite its new features, Astro is still impractical for most people
Astro looking at a dog on a couch.

Amazon's Astro is among the most interesting devices in its entire product lineup. The idea of an intelligent home robot tickles something deep in our psyches, harking back to old episodes of The Jetsons. At its Devices & Services event, Amazon announced a ton of new features for Astro that make it more useful than before, and even expand its functionality to small businesses, too. Yet despite all these features and updates, the Astro remains largely impractical for most people.

If you're going to drop almost $1,500 on a robot, it needs to do more than look at things.

Read more