The National Review's Media Blog shows newspaper front pages from conservative states with Democratic Senators, after President Obama's gun control proposals last week. The implication of this post is that the local news coverage both illustrates the political environment these Senators face and might influence the Senators' perceptions of their constituencies.
Of course, legislators can be influenced by public opinion to varying degrees on different issues, but such a look at local coverage of an issue offers some insight. Much as Washington journalism can reflect a conventional wisdom with boundaries and assumptions that politicians can fall into, politicians are likely also reading coverage from back home with a reinforcing or competing conventional wisdom. Just as with voters, it matters how elected officials learn about the world and public issues.
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