US voters going to Web sites for their news

Was there any doubt? According to the BBC, more and more Americans are going online to get their political news. The reasons for this vary from person to person, but the common consensus seems to be that Americans are wanting to get the whole picture, not just that of a man on a talking box.

I think this is great so long as we remember that not everything we read in the Internet should be taken at face value. All news sources have a different interpretation of what qualify as facts. Take it all in, one Web site at a time. Then use your own judgment to come to a logical conclusion. This just reinforces that the Web is where information is at. If you hurry, you can jump on this bandwagon as well.

That is double the number who used the net during the 2000 campaign according to research group, the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Americans are increasingly going online for political news and commentary, its report found.

It suggests that the web is playing a positive role in democratic debate on a wide range of issues.

Let’s have a debate

The study follows concerns expressed by some commentators that people would use the internet to reinforce existing political views rather than challenge them.

The survey asked both online and offline citizens how they had heard about debates as wide-ranging as gay marriage, free trade, the Iraq war and the arguments for and against presidential candidates George Bush and John Kerry.

Consistently internet users, especially those with broadband connections, had encountered the most arguments on both sides of the debates.

The statistics produced took into account the fact that internet users have higher levels of education and political interest than those that do not have access.