bytes and ballots

There is this interesting piece in the Denver Post, by that paper's TV critic, "Politics tuning TV out." Here's a short snip, reflecting something I have written about earlier:

This election year we're seeing a seismic shift in the way TV interacts with politics and politicians. After decades of setting the agenda - influencing how campaigns operate, even defining the choices presented to voters - television is being snubbed in the run-up to 2008.

The Internet is stealing the thunder from the old rabbit ears, forcing the networks to play catch-up.

So far, two Democratic candidates for the nation's highest office have chosen to announce their bids via the Internet. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both streamed video on the Web, in essence becoming their own broadcasters for the moment, making a high-tech end run around old media.

And in a similar vein, there is a piece in the NY Times, "In Politics, the Camera Never Blinks (or Nods)".