The Washington Post: A Step in the Right Direction

Election journalism's most persistent problem is its practitioners losing sight of their purpose in their drive to scoop the competition. Stories about candidates' personal scandals or gaffes tend to gain precedence over pieces attempting to explain why the candidates think as they do, and stories about which candidate is ahead run in favor of those attempting to explain why one candidate has favor with a certain group, or why another does not. This tendency can be exacerbated by the Internet, in which deadlines come more quickly than in print or television, and the competition is even more intense. The Washington Post does a significantly better job of this than many other news outlets.

-This story effectively explains Obama's appeals to blacks and to what degree they find him appealing. Unfortunately, this story was printed on A7, and should have received more prominent placement.
-This story effectively describes voters' thoughts in the current economy. While it may be somewhat obvious that an issue as large as the financial crisis plays a significant part in the election, this article effectively explores why, particularly in mentioning how resentment toward Bush's policies influences voters, and to what degree voters find each candidate well-suited to deal with the situation.
-The Washington Post occasionally prints stories that only serve to update on the current state of the "horse race," and sometimes gets bogged down in "gotcha" journalism and the private life of Sarah Palin. However, some scandal stories, like this one take on more substantive issues than her personal life, as this revelation may become important in the ongoing discussion over Palin's governorship of Alaska.

Such pieces of journalism are refreshing, as they help to inform the viewers of the issues that are truly important, helping them to make informed choices and understand the electoral process. Internet journalists should take note of it, and should, while still working diligently and quickly to produce news, never forget that Internet news should be comprehensive, useful and informative as well as fast.