In a blog by Dairine McCafferty, she discusses the use of the internet in the recent US election. Obama updated followers of his campaign on twitter, had millions of videos, audios and photos circulating on the internet and had thousands of blogs devoted to him.Many people attribute his popularity among the younger generation to the fact that he had such a solid base online. But online journalism may have other affects on politics.
Citizen journalists have no obligation to be objective or impartial, which could mean that political reporting could become more biased and hostile to the opposing parties. Online journalism also provides more efficient, up-to-date coverage of elections like these and developing political stories. The interactivity on news sites can also provide politicians themselves with a more in depth look on the feeling among the voters about different issues and topics.
However there are dangers, as always, with the internet of anonymous smear campaigns and biased reporting and coverage, as is possible with with every media outlet.
