Hickerson: Press Coverage of Obama Reveals "Watchdog" Nature of New Media

Andrea Hickerson, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Communication, Rochester Institute of Technology, analyzes the recent study by the Center for Media and Public Affairs on press coverage of President Obama. She suggests that the shift in criticism of Obama's actions are a result of a few factors, including the fact that he has developed policies and material to criticize. Hickerson also examines the way that new media has affected the way consumers get their news by tarnishing the image of major news organizations. She says, "By serving as a watchdog and exposing factual media errors and or bias, new media make a case for their own relevance."

Read the Andrea Hickerson interview.