These online tools are a very creative and interesting way of encouraging readers to start a conversation with the news outlet. These tools are designed to promote the news organisation; the news outlet with the most comprehensive coverage of the election is likely to find increased readership levels.
I am not here to judge media coverage of the election - that has been done by the rest of the world already. I am simply here to give examples of the types of online tools being used by media outlets and to rank the tools.
Please note, the list below of online tools is not a complete or comprehensive list.
The Advertiser has created a candidate promises section. If you type in your electorate, you will receive a list of candidates running in the election with a detailed list of their election promises. The tool aims to help you figure out who to vote for. There is also detailed information about the electorate and how it compares to the rest of Australia. I loved this - it certainly helped me determine who was going to do what for my electorate and it definitely helped me decide who to vote for: 10/10.
The Age has developed an interactive electorate map. If you type in your electorate (for me it is Lilley - currently held by Wayne Swan), the map will detail the status of the seat (marginal) and also provide information on the income, family, education, home ownership, religion and country of birth for the electorate. There is also a short history of the electorate. It is a brilliant informational tool: 7/10.
The ABC created what is probably the most famous online tool for this election: Vote Compass. A simple questionnaire designed to help readers determine who to vote for. The questions range from policies to values and the quiz concludes by telling you which party your beliefs align with - it does all the work for you. This tool was helpful in determining where my beliefs lay in terms of the big parties, but it did not make my decision on who to vote for any easier (I wanted specifics for my area): 9/10.
The Sydney Morning Herald has a plethora of online tools available to readers. They have an interactive electorate map, an election 'reckoner' designed to help you chose which party to vote for, and the hilarious 'Whack a Pollie' game where you can hit either a cartoon version of Rudd or Abbott to see their popularity levels rise. Not only do they inject humor into their online tools, they are also relatively detailed when it comes to the serious side of politics: 9/10.
The Guardian's Campaign Watch tool is more for the politically-minded person then the average citizen, but the tool would likely appeal to The Guardian's highly educated and politically-inclined readership. The tool tracks where the two main candidates (Rudd and Abbott) have been throughout the election campaign, and includes details on what they did in each electorate they visited and promises they made. The tool, while interesting, is not necessarily helpful to your average citizen: 7/10.
The Australian also created an interactive electorate map. When you search for your electorate you are given some demographics about the electorate (though it is not very detailed) and a small paragraph detailing who The Australian thinks will win the seat. There is also a list of seats to watch. It is not the most comprehensive tool available, and the information I found on it I could easily have found on other websites: 6/10.
These are merely some of the election tools that can be found online. News outlets are wholeheartedly embracing new technology to create these interactive and informative tools for readers. Some organisations created tools which would appeal merely to their readers, while others created tools to attract new readers. Either way, the invention of these online tools has helped media outlets in their journey to cover the election comprehensively.
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