The political body, like the biological one, needs the right combination of nutrients to function adequately. One such key ingredient is news about public affairs that is necessary to inform political deliberation and encourage educated participation among the citizenry. In most liberal democratic societies, this news is largely provided by elite news organizations in print, broadcast, and online media. But, at least on the Web, while these organizations have supplied this kind of news in considerable quantities, the demand for news among online readers has gravitated toward other kinds of content also provided on these sites, such as information about weather, sports, crime, gossip, and entertainment. That frames an interesting dilemma for online news, and also for society as a whole.
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