How Americans Get Political Information: Print Versus Broadcast News

This article examines the extent to which major sources of political information affect citizen learning. Recent empirical comparisons of mass media channels show, contrary to earlier research, that television news is informative for American voters, albeit in ways different from newspapers. Television news provides more information about candidates; newspapers, more about parties. Both are sources of issue information. Print media are consulted more often than television by people who are actively seeking information. Television reaches groups that tend to lack political information, such as young people, immigrants, and less interested citizens. Newspaper coverage does more to close knowledge gaps between socioeconomic strata. Newsmagazines and radio are receding as political knowledge sources, relative to television and newspapers.