April 19, 2002

Heeeeeeeeeeeere's Democracy!

By BRUCE A. WILLIAMS and MICHAEL X. DELLI CARPINI

After two decades of declining news audiences, decreasing newspaper circulation, and increasing uneasiness over the blurring of public-affairs and entertainment media, the heightened ratings for television news in the wake of September's terrorist attacks came as a relief to many observers. Journalists, especially, saw it as reassuring evidence that, when it really mattered, Americans still turned to them.

However, that increased audience has largely dissipated, and even a closer look