The National Media The media plays a vital role in the circulation of information about politics, campaigns and elections. As technology evolves, the media evolves along with it; allowing media coverage to expand rapidly and become available to more people across the United States. This influence on politics has begun to affect the importance of political issues and alter the opinion of the public. Members in the national media tend to hold favoritisms that standout in their presentation of political news; however, this impact depends on the type of story that is covered, the selective attention of the public, and the choice of important topics. National media members tend to lean on the Liberal side with their political views. In 1992, 91% of media members who were interviewed confirmed to be Democratic voters and would vote for the Democratic President, whereas, only 43% of the public voted Democratic. While tending to be more Democratic, the members of national press also tend to be more nonspiritual. Only 70% say that they have never or rarely attend a religious service. The public recognized the larger liberal pull within the media; a poll conducted in 2003 showed that 45% of Americans think that the media are “too liberal.” Whether being a liberal or conservative, the opinions of the national media play a large part in how news is conveyed. The neutrality and objectiveness of reported news is always hard to determine. Is the story blown out of proportion? Such as Hillary Clintons’ “Mending fences with the Blacks,” or is it based off truth and accurate factual evidence. The tone and adjectives used to describe the people in reported stories must be taken into account, as well as the type of story being presented. Depending on the type of story there are different amount of bias and opinion to it. For example, routine stories cover major political events, they involve simpler matters, and are covered by a plethora of reporters. They are often written the same way by each reporter and deliver very little differentiating bias. Feature stories are not routinely covered. Reporters must find the story and convince the editors to publish them. In addition, insider stories cover topics that are often held secret from the public. Depending on what the reporters want to leak is influenced by their own standpoint. Feature and insider stories are reflections of the political views of reporters and editors. The readers and listeners themselves also affect media’s political views on the news story. Many people are more influenced by what they read, see, or hear, while some others may stick to their beliefs. Selective attention is when people remember only what they want to remember. While reading or hearing