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As the political season unfolds, the E-Democracy '98 effort is greatly enhanced by the audio and video content provided to us through the generous, voluntary participation of the media organizations highlighted on this page. We wish to take this opportunity to thank them. |
KMSP Channel 9 intends to cover the key Minnesota election races each Tuesday night on its "Election Tuesday" segments. While KMSP places its lead news story online each night, it will not Webcast its elections segments. Instead, the station has generously pledged to provide video of those segments to E-Democracy 98. (The segments are not yet available; links will be added.) The station's assistant news director, Alan Beck, says KMSP joined the E-Democracy 98 effort because, "It was a chance for us to reinforce our desire to remain in the forefront of interactivity with our news presence. It is a great way to explore what we view as an innovation, and also it was a way to help create some measure of meaningful interactivity between voters."
In terms of providing Web viewers with key election-cycle video content, nobody is more committed than the Twin Cities' own KTCA-TV. Channel 2 was first among Twin Cities TV stations in Webcasting entire segments of quality news shows like Newsnight Minnesota and Almanac, and as the '98 election season progresses, the station is even more committed to that effort. E-Democracy 98 is pleased to have them aboard. KTCA's The Tube page also continues to link to the E-Democracy 98 home page.
A new media partner in the E-Democracy effort, Minnesota Public Radio, is featuring an Election 1998 site, offering an expanding archive of news stories relating to this year's issues and
candidates. Features are offered with both audio and text components. As the campaigns unfold, offerings will expand to include commentaries on campaign advertising, issues reports, and voter profiles. MPR's online audio service presents live election reporting including debates, call-ins, and special editions of regular programs. (The September 13 debate among DFL gubernatorial candidates will be netcast from the Fitzgerald Theater with live images as well as sound.) A bulletin board is planned that will offer opportunities for public interaction this fall.