News analyst Danny Schecter has a new column up on Media Channel about how the networks intend to cover the 2004 elections. He begins,

Network television thrives on wars and elections. With the last war over for now, politics is becoming THE BIG STORY once again as the 2004 presidential election draws near. Special election programming is being planned, graphics are being commissioned, and reporting teams are being embedded within campaigns. And just as war coverage was enhanced with news gizmos and state of the art technology, election journalism is being retrofitted with NGT -- the next groovy thing....

Yet, Schecter says, the more techno the networks go, the more people tune out. Fewer people are watching election coverage. He has some ideas to improve the situation--like getting rid of the "endless panels of mostly white men in suits, sitting around tables prognosticating" who are usually wrong.

In a footnote, Media Channel says that it has been signing up correspondents from overseas in its effort to provide "political coverage that does not claim for promotional effect to be "fair and balanced." Just accurate and informative."