News and Information Sites
News and information sites are generally commercial ventures, tied to news organizations, which focus their content on coverage of breaking news, while also providing other, less timely resources. The most well-known and well-used news and information sites during the 1996 election were commercial news and information sites operated by major news organizations, including both television and print media. Commercial on-line news and information sources include sites from newspapers -- such as the New York Times, the Washington Post and USAToday -- network and cable television -- CNN , CBS and C-SPAN -- and even specialty joint ventures such as MSNBC.
Such general news sites were established as extensions of their traditional-media counterparts. Therefore it is not surprising that the content of these site is largely, if not completely, the same as that presented in their print or broadcast siblings. For the information providers who have established these sites, they are simply another avenue for reaching an audience. For organizations that already have a strong news-gathering infrastructure, the cost and effort of putting information on the Internet is relatively minimal, since the information to be placed on a web site is already being generated distribution in other mediums. There is little incentive to create additional content for a medium that remains essentially secondary to most publishers.
The one area where such sites are able to outshine their parent organizations is in their ability to provide indexes of past articles, as well as create links between relevant pieces and arrange searchable indexes and cross-referenced tables of contents for archived information. While stories appearing on the CBS Evening News must be presented in a continuous, linear progression, users of the CBS News web site are free to read part of a feature, skip to a related article, then come back to the original story, all at their own pace. They are also given the ability at many sites to refer to background information that, in the name of space and time, is left out of many television and newspaper accounts.
In addition to general news sites, the 1996 election also brought about the creation of dedicated political news and information sites, most notably AllPolitics and [the now-defunct] PoliticsNow. These sites, while very politically focused, are organized much the same as the general news and information sites. This is because they are also controlled by traditional-media giants: All Politics is a joint venture between Time and CNN, while the PoliticsNow consortium includes National Journal, the American Political Network, the Los Angeles Times, ABC News, The Washington Post and Newsweek. As a result, their coverage of top political new stories follows almost exactly in the footsteps of the newspapers and television news. News also remains the focus at these sites, with front page coverage of major stories and links to more in-depth coverage.
The area where AllPolitics and PoliticsNow are able to differentiate themselves from the more general sites is in their presentation of specialized and background information. While news dominates the front pages of both services, they do both provide easy links to sections devoted to substantial amounts of issue information, candidate profiles, complete poll results and other specialized information that is not readily available in the mainstream media, nor at the mainstream media's web sites. This depth of resources and tight focus makes these politically-oriented news sites among the most excellent general sources of political information on the Internet.

Reference Sites
Reference sites differ from these news sites in that they are generally non-profit and do not attempt to cover daily breaking news or general political information. Rather, the purpose of these sites is to provide background information and pertinent material concerning the details of specific issues and events, with little or no subjective analysis. Most reference sites are focused on a particular issue or range of issues, providing in-depth coverage not found at the news and information sites. Reference sites are generally notable for their non-biased coverage of the issues, generally providing non-partisan, fact-based information.
Project Vote-Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan on-line clearinghouse for such issue-specific information, providing original content as well as a multitude of links to other such sites with specific, in-depth coverage of particular issues. Project Vote-Smart has links to many different reference pages in 36 separate issue areas, from abortion to welfare. The site also features information and links to sites explaining the electoral process and the operation of the government.
Other on-line source of mostly non-partisan reference material is provided by the federal government itself. Accessible through the FedWorld site, most federal departments and agencies now have their own web sites. These sites provide a wealth of detailed information about government programs, direct from the agencies that run them. In addition to providing a general overview programs and responsibilities, many departments and agencies, such as the Census Bureau and the Federal Election Commission, allow Internet users direct access to relevant government data. Many sites also allow for users to interact; for example, the Internal Revenue Service site explains the tax code, and includes a section for user feedback on proposed changes in tax regulations.
In addition to executive agency and department site, the federal government has also established sites for the House of Representatives, the Senate and the White House. The legislative sites feature not only information about pending legislation, but also house individual home pages of senators and representatives. Similarly, the White House site provides information about the president and vice-president, as well as complete transcripts of press conferences, statements, and presidential speeches, all archived in a searchable database.

Candidate and Party Sites
The third category, candidate and party sites, is fairly self-explanatory. In 1996, both major-party presidential candidates had extensive web sites containing, among other things, their positions on key issues. The DNC and RNC also maintain their own, independent sites, with platform statements and information about many of their candidates. Most third party candidates had web sites as well, as did state and local candidates in many parts of the country.
Like the FedWorld, legislative and White House sites, individual candidate and political party sites attempt to provide a base of information about the important issues in the election, the candidate's position or the party's platform, and news about the campaign. Unlike the FedWorld or the White House, however, candidate and party sites are designed to put spin on the information presented with the specific goal of getting the candidates elected. Such sites are always partisan and often downright dirty, especially in the case of the party sites. As traditional coordinated advertising by the parties has become almost entirely negative, their web sites have picked up negative features as well. The Democratic Party site, for example, has a section devoted to bashing Newt Gingrich, while the RNC site hosts a similar "Clinton Corner" feature. The party sites do also provide useful information, including party rules and contact information, as well as the platforms and information about the party's activities.
Candidate site in 1996 were generally more positive than their party-run counterparts, although they were no less shameless in their attempt to win votes. Most importantly, the candidate sites provided a chance for voters to see what the candidates themselves were saying about the issues and their stands on the issues, rather than the watered-down sound clips provided through the filter of the traditional media. Position papers and fact sheets addressing a number of issues were available from both the Clinton/Gore and Dole/Kemp campaign sites. While the information provided on candidate sites was by no means objective or impartial, users were able to compare between what the different candidates were saying and base their decisions on that, rather than on a thin, media-spun interpretation of the candidates' positions. Information at the sites generally echoed the candidates' stump speech material, the substance of which is left unreported by the traditional media.

Issue Advocacy Sites
The fourth class of political web sites, which can be best described as issue advocacy sites, are generally established by PACs, corporations and non-profit organizations with an interest in certain issues relevant to the outcome of the election. Such sites provided voters with information from a subjective standpoint. Issue advocacy sites range widely in their presentation of information, but all are presenting issue information in a manner that attempts to further the organization's public policy goals. Some such sites appear on the surface to be objective reference sites, providing a wide range of facts and figures about the issues. However, the information is presented in such a manner as to draw the user into the viewpoint of the organization which is presenting it. Other sites feature brash attacks on presidential candidates and their policies. The National Rifle Association page, for example, includes a lengthy attack on the Clinton administration's gun control policies. The AFL-CIO site contains similar attacks on the Republican party. While issue advocacy sites are invariably biased, and as such not a reliable source of issue information, they can provide insight into many of the issues and organizations that are trying to influence an election.