Reassessing Relationships between Communication Forms and Political
Knowledge in Political Campaigns from a Geospatial Perspective: The Case
of Local TV News
Abstract
This study investigates the informing effects of communication in
political campaigns from a geospatial perspective. The results from
analyzing survey data collected during the 2000 and 2004 presidential
elections in the U.S. generally suggest that the main forms of
traditionalcommunication, i.e., print newspapers and network and cable
television news—but with the exception of local TV news—play a
significant role in informing citizens about political campaigns.
Political discussion also plays a role in this regard. The implications
of the respective roles of a number of news forms in a democracy are
discussed.