One of the most dramatic changes in the results of this year s survey was the replacement of television as the media most relied on over newspapers. This shows the growing power of television as news media, but newspapers should not be ruled out. This year s survey also indicates that voters are more cynical regarding journalists freedom of the press. This is a dramatic difference from last year s results, which indicated that almost half the respondents believed journalists have not abused their freedom of the press. Consistent with last year s results, are the survey s demographics.
Research indicates that Indiana is a stable community consisting of long-term residents.
This shows there is a large percentage of citizens who have invested resources in the area and are not transient like IUP students. As far as politics are concerned, there was an increase in voter turnout in presidential elections from 1992 to 1996. Perhaps another reason why voters did not attend meetings is they rely on the media rather than council meetings to obtain information about local issues. On these same issues, approximately three-quarters of the voters felt they were generally well informed. Although some of the survey results indicate that there is a growing dissatisfaction regarding journalists, overall the relationship between the media and the Indiana community appears to be a healthy one.