Information is the lifeblood of our democracy. This is most evident in an election year, when people across the nation are turning to their TVs, radios, newspapers and computers in search of rigorous journalism, critical analysis, and in-depth background on the issues and candidates. We rely on our media for the information we need to choose our leaders, so it matters if horse-race coverage and partisan spin drown out substance. So how are the media doing so far in 2008?

In this weeklong forum, we invite you to join the discussion about how the media are serving you in this election year. We have organized a panel of journalists, activists, citizens and scholars to give you their thoughts on the impact of the media on elections – but they want to hear from you. Click here to join the conversation.

John Nichols, a pioneering political blogger, writes about politics for The Nation magazine as its Washington correspondent. He is a contributing writer for The Progressive and In These Times and the associate editor of the Capital Times, the daily newspaper in Madison, Wis. Nichols co-founded Free Press with Robert W. McChesney and Josh Silver.

Jim Carlson is a professor of political science at Providence College in Providence, R.I. His research has focused on political behavior, and he has published a number of articles and a book, Prime Time Law Enforcement, on television and politics. Carlson has written extensively on political parties, elections and political psychology, and teaches courses on mass media and politics, electoral behavior, law and society, research methods, and American politics. READ JIM CARLSON'S POST HERE.

Meredith McGehee is the policy director at the Campaign Legal Center, where she directs legislative and media policy efforts. McGehee is the former president of the Alliance for Better Campaigns, a public interest group that sought to put meaning back into broadcasters' statutory obligation to serve the public interest. McGehee has served as legislative director for U.S. Rep. Lane Evans of Illinois and as a legislative aide to U.S. Rep. Dante Fascell of Florida. READ MEREDITH MCGEHEE'S POST HERE.

Maggie Bowman produced Election Day, a verite documentary about American voters on November 2, 2004, that will be broadcast on the PBS series “POV” in 2008. Previously she associate-produced Unfinished Country, a film about Haiti’s 2006 presidential elections. Prior to her work in film, Bowman was a union organizer and consultant, working on campaigns with taxi drivers in the Bronx and nurses in Iowa, among others. READ MAGGIE BOWMAN'S POST HERE.

Click here to see their posts and add your voice.

Free Press is a non-partisan organization. We don’t support or oppose any political party or particular candidate. Opinions expressed on this Web site are not necessarily those of Free Press or the Free Press Action Fund ("Free Press"), and nothing in user posts should be understood as such or otherwise attributed to Free Press.