When covering elections, a lot happens behind the scenes in newsrooms before the cameras start rolling and articles are published. Planning sessions often take place months in advance to determine the coverage strategy.
That shouldn’t just be about what issues and races to focus on. It should also be about being fair and ethical in your reporting. In today’s climate, credibility matters more than ever. People want news they can trust, especially when it comes to elections.
But trust isn’t a given. Most people are quick to assume bias or hidden motives behind the stories you’re telling, especially with elections. And with election coverage, you’re not just reporting news; you’re providing information for the foundation of a functioning democracy.
On top of this, we face other challenges: What happens when people can’t agree on what’s true anymore? Or when they’re living in completely different news bubbles? What’s the point of your reporting if the very audience you’re trying to inform doesn’t trust your integrity or accuracy?
It’s not easy, but in this pivotal moment, it’s crucial to double down on credible, rock-solid reporting. It’s not just about the stories you’re telling; it’s about ensuring your communities have access to information they can rely on, understand and use to make informed decisions, no matter where they stand politically.
Reach beyond news junkies
More and more people are tuning out the news, noting that it feels overwhelming and irrelevant to their lives. This is harmful, of course, to journalists’ overall relevance and newsrooms’ sustainability. But it also has deeper, and more dangerous, social implications.
If we as journalists want to fulfill our role as a public service, we should be actively helping our audience better navigate the news — especially when it comes to elections. After all, we serve the public we have, not the public we wish we had.
Make basic information easy to find
As journalists, we strive to provide in-depth, thoughtful analysis and coverage of issues and candidates for our communities. But sometimes we can miss the fact that many people are simply seeking the most basic of election information.
Basic information means: Which candidates are running? What initiatives will people be voting on (and what language will be used to describe these on the ballot)? Where can people register to vote? Or turn in their mail-in ballots?
While you’ve likely already answered these questions in your coverage, remember most people just see a small portion of the coverage you provide. And they might not have seen these basic facts if they were inside longer stories.
On top of that, many people in the public are just now starting to pay attention to the election, or will only seek out information when they’re filling out their ballots, or getting ready to go to the polls.
Start by imagining that everyone is a first-time voter. What would people need to know about the election? How easy would it be to understand your coverage? Would people be able to search and find answers to things on your website?
Make a list of those questions, and then think about the best way to provide those explanations. Some ideas: You could gather this or add it to an FAQ page that links to the coverage you’ve done or a box that runs alongside election coverage, that links to this basic information. We love this example from the Times Union. They created an FAQ page that explains: what they cover, how everyone named in a story has the chance to comment, independence between editorials and news, and reporters’ own biases.
credit : trustingnews
