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Politics Web site launched

By Kathy Antoniotti
Online journalist

With Super Tuesday (Feb. 5) looming and some primaries and caucuses completed, many Ohio voters may be wondering whether their opinions will matter when they finally get their say on March 4.

Ohio.com will try to answer that question and more by bringing political news and information online to the Ohio voter.

Today, Ohio.com will launch politics.ohio.com, a new site dedicated to getting the scoop on the issues that affect the average voter. It will scour other newspapers' Web sites and provide links to stories to help voters make informed decisions on topics and candidates.

But it won't stop there. Political junkies also will find the details they crave such as links to Ohio government sites, including the governor's office, the House and Senate and the Ohio Supreme Court. Voters will be able to find links to election sites at all of Ohio's 88 counties, as well as the Ohio Secretary of State's office and links to each presidential candidate's official Web site.

''Our objective is to provide the best source of information relating to Ohio's role in politics at the national and local level from all perspectives,'' said Linda Lyell, vice president of online operations.

Politics.ohio.com also will offer an introduction to Ohio's online political blogosphere. Blogwatch will feature different viewpoints by highlighting blogs from around the state.

The site will provide a feature that few news Web sites have -- a partisan blog (the point) written by two political junkies from Northeast Ohio. The bloggers will provide their take on the political scene. Lyell said politics.ohio.com is one of the few sites in the country where opinion and news come together.

''This is a bold step for us, but I strongly believe a necessary one,'' Lyell said.

Ben Keeler and Kyle Kutuchief, political analysis bloggers, are friends who agree to disagree. They will enter the fray in a match up of differing ideas.

Unapologetic in their approaches, Keeler and Kutuchief expect they will ruffle some feathers and perhaps make readers think about differing viewpoints as they air their opinions.

''We let our readers know up front where we stand politically because we are proud to be members of our respective political parties. That kind of disclosure is healthy,'' said Kutuchief, an Akron native who earned his Masters of Public Administration at the University of Akron. He is currently taking graduate course work at the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at UA.

''I don't know of any other major sites in Ohio that brings Democrats and Republicans into the same page to encourage debate,'' he said.

Keeler said he created his blog, The Keeler Report, in May 2004 as a voice for conservative Americans. He has a masters degree in sports management from Georgia Southern University.

''Kyle and I have known each other since we played sports as kids,'' Keeler said.

''There is no other example in the state of right - left bloggers who have a working relationship like we do. We air out our ideas, but at the end of the day we are still going to be friends,'' Keeler said.

Lyell expects the site to bring new energy into Ohio's political discourse.

''Being a swing state, politics in Ohio has always had a buzz about it. We built this site based on capturing that noise,'' Lyell said.

''We welcome feedback and suggestions at politics@ohio.com,'' she said.

The new politics.ohio.com page.
ON THE WEB

With Super Tuesday (Feb. 5) looming and some primaries and caucuses completed, many Ohio voters may be wondering whether their opinions will matter when they finally get their say on March 4.

Ohio.com will try to answer that question and more by bringing political news and information online to the Ohio voter.

Today, Ohio.com will launch politics.ohio.com, a new site dedicated to getting the scoop on the issues that affect the average voter. It will scour other newspapers' Web sites and provide links to stories to help voters make informed decisions on topics and candidates.

But it won't stop there. Political junkies also will find the details they crave such as links to Ohio government sites, including the governor's office, the House and Senate and the Ohio Supreme Court. Voters will be able to find links to election sites at all of Ohio's 88 counties, as well as the Ohio Secretary of State's office and links to each presidential candidate's official Web site.

''Our objective is to provide the best source of information relating to Ohio's role in politics at the national and local level from all perspectives,'' said Linda Lyell, vice president of online operations.

Politics.ohio.com also will offer an introduction to Ohio's online political blogosphere. Blogwatch will feature different viewpoints by highlighting blogs from around the state.

The site will provide a feature that few news Web sites have -- a partisan blog (the point) written by two political junkies from Northeast Ohio. The bloggers will provide their take on the political scene. Lyell said politics.ohio.com is one of the few sites in the country where opinion and news come together.

''This is a bold step for us, but I strongly believe a necessary one,'' Lyell said.

Ben Keeler and Kyle Kutuchief, political analysis bloggers, are friends who agree to disagree. They will enter the fray in a match up of differing ideas.

Unapologetic in their approaches, Keeler and Kutuchief expect they will ruffle some feathers and perhaps make readers think about differing viewpoints as they air their opinions.

''We let our readers know up front where we stand politically because we are proud to be members of our respective political parties. That kind of disclosure is healthy,'' said Kutuchief, an Akron native who earned his Masters of Public Administration at the University of Akron. He is currently taking graduate course work at the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at UA.

''I don't know of any other major sites in Ohio that brings Democrats and Republicans into the same page to encourage debate,'' he said.

Keeler said he created his blog, The Keeler Report, in May 2004 as a voice for conservative Americans. He has a masters degree in sports management from Georgia Southern University.

''Kyle and I have known each other since we played sports as kids,'' Keeler said.

''There is no other example in the state of right - left bloggers who have a working relationship like we do. We air out our ideas, but at the end of the day we are still going to be friends,'' Keeler said.

Lyell expects the site to bring new energy into Ohio's political discourse.

''Being a swing state, politics in Ohio has always had a buzz about it. We built this site based on capturing that noise,'' Lyell said.

''We welcome feedback and suggestions at politics@ohio.com,'' she said.



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