Trusted Elections Network

Advancing accurate reporting and information in 2020

The Trusted Elections Network concluded in early 2021. To see takeaways from the project and other API resources on election coverage, go here.

In advance of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the American Press Institute coordinated a network of newsroom leaders, voting and civic organizations, academic institutions and elections, legal and media experts who worked together to address misinformation and other threats to secure, trusted elections. 

A number of events have conspired in recent years to shake Americans’ trust in the nation’s electoral process. The information ecosystem has been contaminated by nefarious actors at home and abroad who have sought to influence how voters think about the candidates and the issues. Worries about voter suppression and fraud in some states already were making “election integrity” a key issue in the United States. Then came the coronavirus pandemic, raising serious questions about whether – and how – governments can best ensure voters’ health and safety as they head to the polls. 

API’s Trusted Elections Network helped facilitate journalists’ understanding about the spread of false information, how to avoid amplifying falsehoods and how to best cover the electoral process. Most of all, the network helped journalists and experts share lessons they learned along the way. 

API’s close connections with local news organizations, along with the work that experts and academic institutions have done to identify and isolate the greatest threats to trusted elections, enabled us to facilitate important conversations about the best ways to inform and educate the public in that pivotal election year.

The network advanced strategies, lessons and other resources to help news organizations and others identify and respond to misinformation, disinformation and other challenges to the security and accessibility of American elections. The work was funded with support from Craig Newmark Philanthropies.