REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 30, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- In a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center,* more consumers stated that they got their political news from msnbc.com than any other online site. Msnbc.com's comprehensive political coverage, including in-depth reports, interactive features, exclusive video from NBC News, and up-to-the-minute reporting from the campaign trail delivers the latest news, insight and analysis that consumers want.
Twenty-six percent of those surveyed who said they got their campaign news online named msnbc.com. Of the hundreds of sites users mentioned as sources for political news, msnbc.com was the only site to get over a 25% response. Msnbc.com is trailed by CNN.com (23%), Yahoo News (22%), Google News and Fox News (both 9%), AOL News (7%), and the New York Times website (6%). Other websites include Drudge Report (3%), BBC (2%), and USA Today and the Washington Post (1% each).**
"We are determined to earn the trust of voters looking for quality information while at the same time offering them a lively online experience that they can really become a part of," said Lauren Vicary, political editor, msnbc.com.
Consumers turn to msnbc.com for real-time election results and next day analysis following major political news events. Politics.msnbc.com, powered by NBC News/MSNBC Cable and National Journal, has quickly become the web's premiere destination for political news, analysis and video. Traffic to politics.msnbc.com section surged to nearly 9 million page views on the day of the New Hampshire primary, and surpassed 6 million page views during the Iowa caucus as well as the following days, for both events. Consumers visiting the site are more engaged with the content, spending an average of 6 minutes in the Politics section.*** Politics.msnbc.com delivers comprehensive insight into the political landscape with original reporting, news, commentary, live blog updates on First Read, on-the-scene observations and web-exclusive analysis from leading sources, including The New York Times and Newsweek.
One of msnbc.com's popular interactive features is the Candidates + Issues Matrix, with over 17 million page views. This exclusive feature offers consumers a comprehensive, yet easy-to-navigate tool to understand where candidates stand on key issues. Consumers can hear the candidates describe their positions on the economy, energy, healthcare, immigration, and the Iraq war, in their own words. Then they can rate their level of agreement with each candidate's answers on these topics. The results reveal the candidate most aligned with their own views. Consumers can submit their results to msnbc.com's database and see how other voters rate the candidates' positions. The database is reset each week so users can see whether public opinion is changing over time. The Candidates + Issues Matrix is available at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21116732.
About msnbc.com
Msnbc.com delivers a fuller spectrum of news. Drawing on its award-winning original journalism, NBC News heritage, trusted sources and Microsoft's advanced technologies, the site presents compelling, diverse and visually-engaging stories on the consumer's platform of choice. Based in Redmond, WA, msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) and NBC Universal (NYSE:GE).
*Source: Pew Research Center. The Pew Research Center is an independent opinion research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues. Study: Internet's Broader Role in Campaign 2008.
**Figures add to more than 100% because multiple sites could be volunteered.
***Omniture SiteCatalyst