The American Press Institute envisions an inclusive democracy and society, where communities have the news and information they need to make decisions and thrive. To support this vision, we aim to share a variety of programming, training and resources news organizations can use to shape and support their coverage of the 2024 elections.
News leaders have told us both in-person and in surveys that they want to better support reporters and editors who will be covering an election for the first time. At a time when public trust in the media is at a record low, combined with the fact that even the smallest voting incident can turn into a big story, it’s crucial that those journalists feel confident they have both people and resources for which to turn for guidance.
That’s why we’re sharing portions of this media guide to covering elections and voting from The Elections Group. Written by Pam Fessler, a former NPR News correspondent who covered voting and elections for 20 years and is now a communications advisor for The Elections Group, the guide delves into key steps in the voting process as well as issues to watch.
It’s a comprehensive place to start for journalists new to the beat, or news leaders who want to determine the knowledge, relationships and topics to prioritize leading up to November. You can find the entire report here.
Share with your network
- Covering elections and voting in 2024: A media guide
- 6 tips for covering voting
- Key steps in the voting process
- Story ideas
- Resources
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In this self-reflective session led by API's Sam Ragland, journalists will contribute anonymously to a series of prompts to learn actionable insights for reassessing and repairing their relationships with work. Created specifically for those working within a news organization, this session will help journalists assess where they sit on the stress spectrum, understand what is inside and outside of their control and self-prescribe a set of actions for election season to combat their unique blend of burnout.
API's summit on Elections, Trust and Democracy led to a 5-step process for how news organizations can do this work now — and year-round.
These guides are here to help you save time while getting some core thinking shared among your staff, on the record. So when you face a specific development you’re not saying, “I wish we’d talked about this in advance.”
