Blogging The New Zealand Election: The Impact Of New Media Practices On The Old Game

While the audiences for news and current affairs on the Internet are small, there is evidence from the United States that some online media are having a disproportionate influence on public affairs through their impact on the wider mediasphere. In particular, weblogs are credited with fact-checking the news media, widening the news agenda and forging new kinds of information networks. What is far from clear, however, is whether these new media contribute to a different quality of public debate or merely add a few extra voices. This paper explores the impact of weblogs on public affairs in Aotearoa/New Zealand through an analysis of the blogging of the 2005 general election.