In democratic theory, what is meant by 'the deliberative process'?

Deliberative democratic theory is a school of thought that argues that democracy must involve more that just the act of voting. Voting must be informed by a deliberative process in which the electorate can publicly discuss and deliberate on matters of policy and of principle. There are many media that contribute to the deliberative process, news coverage and public debate have traditionally formed a mainstream core of democratic deliberation, but the process extends to private and fringe arenas in which ideas and perspectives can be exchanged. Deliberative democratic theory holds that a functional democracy requires a free media that can carry out this public deliberation.