Role Call: 2008 Campaign and Election Coverage on the Web Sites of Leading U.S. Newspapers

This study explores how Web sites affiliated with leading U.S. newspapers covered the 2008 campaign and election. It traces changes over a decade in which the Internet moved from the periphery to the center of political, public, and media attention. Although a 2004 study suggested online editors were rethinking their function as information gatekeepers, this study indicates a reassertion of traditional journalistic roles despite an increase in options for user input.