Political journalism

Political journalism aims to provide voters with the information to formulate their own opinion and participate in community, local or national matters that will affect them.

Digital media use has increased and it provides instant coverage of campaigns, politics, event news, and an accessible platform for the candidate.

As technological advances overtake the modern world, it is becoming less common for the general public to buy newspapers or watch TV news to inform themselves on the events in the political sphere.

Overall, democracy is beginning to fail as there is a lack of civic engagement and even interference with democratic processes,[4] such as Russia's involvement with the 2016 United States election, and even electronic voting (e-voting) machines that are being hacked and altering results.

Political journalism is meant to be more of an overseer of the democratic process as they relate to civic engagement rather than a scapegoat for the issues with democracy.

The concept of fake news arose due to the fact that it is so easy to manipulate or twist information these days and create a certain narrative that might be entirely incorrect.

People argue for participatory democracy, but politics now is largely considered a popularity contest and consists of politicians making decisions to ensure their reelection.

John Bender, assistant professor of new editorial at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, claimed that journalists who are the most esteemed and high regarded play active roles in helping their community thrive.

Many titans have leapt across the industry in various forms, whether it be Hunter S. Thompson's "Gonzo journalism" style of following the political campaigns on the road, or Barbra Walters hard hitting interviews.

For example, political journalism often reports on government initiatives pertaining to different incentives, laws, taxes, and data privacy rules.

They believe that integrating journalism into the democratic process helps to inform voters and makes them more aware of what is occurring in the political sphere.

Members of the press ask questions of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Hunter S. Thompson, known for inventing the political style of journalism known as Gonzo journalism.