Ten Years Ago... Mixed Reviews for the Internet on Its First Presidential Election

TEN YEARS AGO...

Mixed Reviews for the Internet on Its First Presidential Election
[SOURCE: New York Times 11/7/1996, AUTHOR: Peter H. Lewis]
Internet use in general was not up much more than usual on election night. However, the most well-known sites for election coverage were completely swamped, and users experienced delays getting information. MSNBC was so busy it was impossible to get through. PoliticsNow was knocked offline for a little bit. CNN's site had huge delays, and the NYT's site was infested with hackers. While on this most recent election night, the TV was probably the fastest way to get information, Internet supporters still see it as a good medium for election coverage because users can decide what races they want to follow.
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F30711F9355C0C748CDDA80994DE494D81

TODAY...

Election Night Viewing Includes Web’s Bells and Whistles
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Bill Carter and Jacques Steinberg]
For those who seek out their election news today from the main broadcast networks and cable news channels, the most striking change since 2004 may be the enormous increase in supplemental material that those news organizations will be offering on their Web sites, away from viewers’ TV screens. In seeking to appropriate the swagger and lawlessness of the blogosphere under the imprimatur of the so-called mainstream media, the broadcast news organizations may increase the chances of letting out information early on the Web -- projected winners drawn from exit poll data, for example -- that they have pledged to keep off the air on their main television outlets.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/07/us/politics/07tube.html