ABSTRACT
Online news sites operated by print and broadcast news organizations can contribute to public knowledge about news and public affairs issues by carrying original news of social consequence. These sites can be sources of exclusive news stories, investigative reports, and original commentaries, providing unique contributions to the marketplace of ideas. However, in most cases online news sites operated by print and broadcast news outlets have not made full and responsible use of their sites, seeing them as merely supplements or promotional vehicles for their original outlets, satisfied to reproduce their offline content online and carry wire service stories. Nonetheless, online news sites will have to offer original news if they are to evolve into more legitimate and original news resources in their own right and become more than promotional outlets for parent media outlets.
