A substantial majority of people in most modern democracies follow public affairs in the mass media day in, day out. This is true whether they read newspapers, watch television or listen to radio and online talk shows. However, what they learn from this news varies considerably and depends on the recipients’ age, education, political interest and previous political knowledge.
As the number of political outlets increases, the partisan alignment of many of these outlets becomes more apparent. This has led to a concentration on flamboyant and sensational headlines and stories that play to a certain ‘popcorn’ mentality of the masses, popular with tabloid-like news sources in the past. The result is that national politics, political candidates (particularly one character) and a handful of issues have come to dominate the news.
The negative effects of this partisan bias are often attributed to the deteriorating standards of journalism and to the fact that some journalists may not be able to maintain traditional news-making values such as accuracy, objectivity, independence or balance. In democratic societies, conventional news-making standards are anchored in fundamental democratic principles and are thus highly important for the quality of democracy.
Some researchers are steadfast in their belief that civic journalism is a viable solution to some of these problems. They argue that integrating journalism into the democratic process would allow citizens to make better informed decisions in an increasingly complex and turbulent world. This, in turn, would contribute to a more active and responsible citizenry and an enhanced democracy.