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Posted: October 6, 2006 5:18 PM
ONA members tap PTA moms for election coverage expertise

By Sarah Bloom

Are candidates and parties, donkeys and elephants oh so 2004? Online News Association (ONA) panelists Friday showed an eager audience innovative ways to adapt online political coverage to meet the public's changing expectations for sound political insights not from appointed and self-appointed experts but from friends and neighbors.

Watch Chris Matthews discuss election coverage:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Jennifer Sizemore's PowerPoint presentation

Following a general socio-cultural trend toward distrust of government, panelists argued that many citizens now turn to each other instead of appointed or self-appointed experts when making political decisions.

"Not only are we changing our idea of community," said Ron Fournier of Hotsoup.com, a new discussion-style Web site to launch in mid-October. "We're changing the way we connect."

Video: Fournier elaborates on community needs and information in the 2006 election.

Hotsoup.com represents the most extreme example of the press's attempt to meet a new public demand. The site will feature a number of political discussion forums and commentary by trusted public figures, whether PTA parents or articulate professional athletes.

More traditional online models such as MSNBC.com, CNN.com, and BBC.com have also begun to redevelop their coverage to meet the changing public needs. All of these media have introduced interactive coverage sites for the election and launched blogs driven by popular TV personalities -- putting familiar old media faces with the news online.

ONA members will lead the journalism community in creative, interactive, and citizen-friendly coverage in the 2006 election, with an at-your-fingertips climax for the 2008 presidential election.

Seventh Annual Conference
and Awards Banquet
October 5-7, 2006
Capital Hilton
Washington, D.C.

Conference chair:
Jody Brannon, MSN.com
E-mail your questions or suggestions.

Next year: The 2007 ONA conference is scheduled for Oct. 17-19 in Toronto. The conference chair is Ju-Don Roberts, washingtonpost.com. E-mail your questions or suggestions.

Newsroom: The 2006 conference Web site was produced by the ONA student newsroom, which is supported by the Gannett Foundation and volunteers from media organizations and academia.

Volunteers: Countless volunteer hours went into planning this conference. Thanks to all who gave generously of their time and ideas.

ONA & Flickr: Did you take photos at the conference? Share them with your peers at the ONA Flickr Photo Pool. Upload your photos and see the images from last year.


Don't know the town very well? Consult our ONA visitors guide for journalists, courtesy of washingtonpost.com.

More useful links:

  • Capital Hilton
  • Directions to the hotel
  • Convention and Visitors Bureau
  • Smithsonian
  • Metro map

    The 2006 Online News Association Conference is the premier conference for those who work in, or have an interest in, online media and news. The Online Journalism Awards Banquet honors the very best online journalism produced in the past year.

    The Online Journalism Awards have become the top awards in online journalism. Each year a distinguished panel of judges selects the very best work in nine different categories to be honored at the awards. The OJA Banquet is the event where the awards are presented, and the winners are honored for their efforts.


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