Americans have concerns about election coverage. Here are 3 ways to respond

Trustworthy election coverage is an important part of that vision. So when API teamed up with Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research to research how Americans view news about elections, we noted several findings local media especially may want to use to start conversations about how they gain trust this year with their community. 

  • Americans express concern that news will be inaccurate and focus too much on controversies. Show why you’re credible and be clear about the role you aim to serve in your community.
  • Younger generations are less likely to follow news about local and state elections. Local races affect all people deeply and daily. Take time to understand the views of and inform coverage by people who don’t already follow election news closely.
  • Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans place more trust than white adults in what they see on social media. Have a plan for engaging on social platforms, and educating audiences how social media may be manipulated.  

News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> Student journalists assaulted, others arrested as protests on college campuses turn violent (CNN)

Journalists, including student journalists, who have been covering protests and unreset at college campuses have been arrested and excluded by the police across the country. In many cases, student media has become the most reliable source for news on the protests.

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Culture & Inclusion

>> How the assault on DEI undermines journalism (LinkedIn, The Pivot Fund) 

Efforts to dismantle diversity-promoting policies on college campuses could have profound effects for the future of journalism. Letrell Crittenden, Director of Inclusion and Audience Growth at API, says that it could impact recruitment, retention and community engagement for the industry. 

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> In a rare move these days, The Dallas Morning News hires a public editor (Poynter)

Duke professor Stephen Buckley will be the paper’s public editor. In an interview, he said he would neither represent the newsroom nor the readers, but would serve the truth. 

>> Generative AI is already helping fact-checkers. But it’s proving less useful outside the West (Reuters Institute) 

Fact-checkers from Norway, Georgia and Ghana say that AI helps them work faster, but that the current tools have not been trained in enough language models or with a cultural understanding of different regions. 

>> Join us: Community engagement tools to inform election coverage

How do American audiences view election news? And what simple steps can you take to build your community’s confidence in your election coverage? In this webinar, API will discuss both research and strategies for engaged election coverage this year. This is part of a seven-part API and AP webinar series — register here for the May 30 event.

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Revenue & Resilience

>> The media brand with one email newsletter, 15 staff and $15m revenue (Press Gazette)

1440’s daily email list has 3.5 million subscribers — and is adding 250,000 per month. The email is a daily round-up of news stories; it is funded entirely by advertising and sponsorships. 

>> Better News: How The Seattle Times experimented with mail delivery for its print edition (The Lenfest Institute) 

The Seattle Times began mailing its papers in 2022 to 2% of its subscribers. They found that daily subscribers didn’t like the change, but Sunday-only subscribers were less bothered.

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What else you need to know

✖️ Ex-Washington Post media reporter wins battle against paper after being suspended for critical tweet (Mediaite)

✒️ Number of writers jailed in China exceeds 100 for first time, says report (The Guardian) 

💰 Open call on closing local coverage gaps (Press Forward) 

🗞️ Gannett hits pause button on its promise to restaff its smallest papers (Poynter) 

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Weekend reads

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