The United States is a deeply divided country when it comes to politics. About half of all Americans vote for Democrats, while the other half are aligned with Republicans. This stark political divide was clearly demonstrated in the 2000 presidential election, which was a statistical dead heat. Democrat Al Gore received a greater percentage of the popular vote, while his rival, Republican George W. Bush, was awarded more electoral votes and won the presidency after a prolonged battle in state and federal courts. During the election and its aftermath, the media were severely criticized. Republicans said the liberal bias of television and newspaper reporters helped Gore nearly win. Democrats charged that a conservative bias on radio talk shows and certain cable news programs led to Bush's victory. In addition, many criticized the media for simply covering the campaign as a horse race, keeping tally of who was ahead and...