A substantial percentage of people in modern democracies follow public affairs in the news media on a daily basis. However, the intensity of this habit as well as the political knowledge that people extract from the news varies depending on several factors such as age, education and previous political interest or knowledge. In terms of the media they use, younger adults are more likely to rely on the internet for their daily dose of political information than older citizens.
The vast majority of Americans get their election news primarily from television, although significant numbers also read newspapers and watch broadcasts on the internet or on mobile devices. These trends pose a number of questions about the role that journalists can play in shaping civic engagement and promoting democratic principles.
Research on political news concentrates mainly on three main areas: the nature of political knowledge in the public, the way that citizens process news about politics and how the news media influence these processes. In addition, political news research considers the positive functions that news media can play in a democracy.
If an official or politician is spreading misinformation, journalists need to be quick to point this out. Instead of quoting the person and amplifying it, they should focus on the actual impact that the mistake could have – for example, by pointing out how an inaccurate claim about a disease may lead to unnecessary fear and panic among patients.