April 1, 1999

Internet paves way for 2000 election coverage

By Anne West
Cyber Caucus 2000 News Service
Drake University

DES MOINES, Iowa--Staying informed about the presidential elections is not always an easy task. Sorting through the news and keeping up with who's who can be almost as confusing as figuring out the key players in the Clinton scandal (not quite as interesting, though). The Internet can be a useful tool in this quest, if you know where to look. The major media news sources on the web can give you the day's headlines as well as diagramming the presidential race 2000.

By far the best coverage I found so far within the major media sources was on the site of The Washington Post. Under Politics and the Campaigns, click on White House 2000. It is here you will find a list of all candidates with stories about them and links to sites bearing their names. Below the candidates is news on the latest development in their campaigns. The best thing about this site, though, is the list of articles pertaining to the presidential 2000 race that go back as far as the first Washington Post story on this subject and right up to the current day's news on the topic.

The Washington Post also has a very developed page concerning all other races in 2000 and their key players. It even provides links to alternative or lesser known parties and candidates.

The New York Times is always a leader in the media world, and this case is no different. If you are a registered user, which is free to do, click on Politics, then Campaigns, and the White House and you will receive the most recent articles related to the race 2000 and links to important sites on the topic. A unique feature this site offers is state-related stories, so you can see when the candidates are visiting or check important dates related to elections.

USA Today lists all related articles under Politics and then Central Race. This list covers a broad range of topics on the race, as well as some fun polls.

CNN Interactive is always a good place to receive up-to-date reports on anything, and the presidential race is no exception. While this site covers all bases in the variety of topics on the race, as of April 1, 1999, there was no specific link solely devoted to a 2000 election page. I found, though, that if you utilize the site's search engine with something like "whitehouse 2000" a healthy and informative list of articles and briefs will appear. This is a good site to find specific stories on a topic.

For White House 2000 coverage with a twist, Mother Jones Wire is the place to look. Mother Jones or MOJO is daily news for the skeptical citizen. This investigative reporting source has interesting stories about political and social issues. Its "no holds barred" reports can be a good way to see a different side to the issues or candidates. Included in this site is a list of campagin finance reports on most candidates, so you can see where the money is coming from. This is definitely one ot watch closer during the race in 2000.

Other major sources such as MSNBC and newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune have not made such visible efforts to center on the election, but, of course, as the elections grow nearer, most sources likely will have more coverage.