The session, designed and moderated by SPJ DC Pro Chapter board member Celia Wexler, drew standing room only interest as more than 150 attendees sat on the floor and peered through the doorway to hear election experts Jeanette Senecal, League of Women Voters; Liz Howard, Brennan Center for Justice; and Shannon Jankowski, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, talk about how important coverage of the upcoming election will be, at MediaFest22 held in Washington, D.C., Oct. 27-29.
Senecal stressed the positive role reporters could play before the elections in helping their audience “make a plan” before casting their votes. The League’s vote411 site can offer up-to-date information to help with planning.
“Our democracy is on the line,” she said. But it’s crucial that voters aren’t so discouraged or alarmed by media coverage that they give up on casting their ballots.
Liz Howard directs the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, and previously served as Virginia’s deputy commissioner of elections. She said that elections officials have been “under-funded and under-resourced” for years, and yet have continued to deliver a “safe and simple” voting experience for millions of U.S. voters each election. This year, however, “experienced officials have been leaving,” because of death threats and intimidation.
She suggested that reporters get to know their elections officials, not now when the mid-terms are days away, but later, so they have a clear understanding of the voting process and the safeguards in place at every stage of casting and counting votes.
Shannon Jankowski said that states vary on their restrictions on reporters’ First Amendment rights to cover voting. Nevertheless, she added, every court has upheld reporters’ rights to do exit polling. She said that the Reporters Committee has updated its election guide, and that the National Conference of State Legislatures has more detailed state by state information on election issues.
“It’s important to understand your legal rights” before election day, she said.
View the PowerPoint slides used during this session HERE.
Celia Wexler said the experts on her panel “put together a very good PowerPoint presentation listing each speaker’s main points, their contact info, and links to more info and resources.” She shares it here. For more information about the panel or if you have questions, email Celia at cvwexler@gmail.com.
Celia Wexler is the author of Catholic Women Confront Their Church (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Out of the News (McFarland, 2012), the winner of the Society of Professional Journalists’ Excellence in Journalism award for journalism history.