The Election SOS newsletter is a dedicated resource for journalists covering the 2020 election. We provide critical resources to help with your coverage, safety and service.
We're here for your questions
Need a vetted expert source for your story? Looking to connect with another newsroom? Wondering what guidelines are out there for journalists navigating all the political news right now?
Our Election SOS team is here and ready to help. Simply email info@electionsos.org and a staff member will respond during business hours. We know it's especially hectic right now, so let us do the research for you so you can focus your energy on reporting. From our directory of hundreds of election-related experts to best practice guides from the 45 organizations that we've collaborated with - not to mention the 1,500+ journalists connected to Election SOS - we can connect you to help on a wide variety of topics around the elections.
Local angle
Local newsrooms across the country might be debating ways of covering the current national news without the dreaded local news peg.
What should local newsrooms do?
Listen to their audience and provide a space for their readers to grasp and process the Capitol events. It might be time to reach out and truly listen to how you can serve your audiences today. Whether it is carefully reading comments, seeking questions on social media, via newsletter, or over the phone, we encourage you to open a line of conversation. Consider a live town hall with experts on extremist groups, community leaders, and even mental health workers.
Provide service journalism, offer advice and content on helping convene civil and fruitful conversations among people with different beliefs. Democracy for President and World Cafe both have useful resources and methodologies for approaching a conversation with people with different political views. See an example from REWIRE.
Roundup: Presidential Pardons
The president’s ability to give clemency was built into our democracy by the framers of the Constitution as a way to correct possible miscarriages of justice. As Trump's term is coming to an end, there are questions around the possibility of a self-pardon or a blanket pardon. We’ve rounded up some of the best resources on pardons to review the history of this power and how it can and can’t be used.
The Basics
Any sitting president can grant a pardon to someone for federal crimes. Presidents cannot give pardons for state crimes.
A president can grant a blanket pardon that covers all possible crimes committed by someone during a particular period. Andrew Johnson granted one in 1865 when pardoning all Confederates.
The Big Question
Can Trump pardon himself? Scholars disagree on this matter, and the courts have never had reason to rule on this as no president has ever attempted it.
News organizations have the weighty responsibility to help the public understand the events of Jan. 6 in the U.S. Capitol and around the country. It’s tricky, but crucial to strike the balance of not fanning the flames and creating further division, and not normalizing what occurred. Read the dos and don'ts on messaging from peace-builders.
It’s an overwhelming time to be a journalist. Covering mob violence, police brutality, natural disasters, civil unrest, and a magnitude of other issues all amidst a pandemic can be traumatizing. It’s essential to find time for yourself and seek help when needed. Here’s are some tips and resources for coping with trauma and exposure to violence on the job:
Prevent online harassment before it starts. Trollbusters are offering 16 lessons - each takes 5-10 minutes to complete. Use their tips to protect yourself and keep harassment from migrating offline.
Words and definitions matter. As newsrooms bring up words like insurrection, coup, sedition, white supremacy, and terrorism, it's vital to define and contextualize those terms for your audience.
Perceptions of journalism's credibility matter so much when covering attacks on democracy. Trusting News provides tips for earning trust with your work.
The recent days have been marked by a cascade of what look like concrete consequences for a president accustomed to bucking such inconvenience. All this talk of accountability begs two questions of the press. First, how might we deal it out to Trump and his coup architects? The second question the press must now face: what will we do to hold ourselves accountable for the many failures that smoothed the path to this moment, even if only at its edges?
News organizations should soon expect to hear from federal law enforcement agencies. National Press Photographers Association General Counsel Mickey Osterreicher says he expects that they will ask or demand that news organizations and individual journalists who documented the siege of the U.S. Capitol turn over their unpublished images and videos.
Governor Cuomo announces proposals for election reform, like speeding up vote counting, and adding additional time for early voting. Right now is when legislatures will start pushing bills that will govern how future elections are run. It's vital for journalists to keep those stories in mind, as the national news get dominated by the recent events.
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