Election coverage can provide one of the most intense experiences a reporter can get, i.e. the reporter relays information to an audience attempting to understand important issues. With the explosion of political Web sites, election season never really stops anymore — something predicted by psychologist Joseph C.R. Licklider: "The political process would essentially be a giant teleconference and a campaign would be a months-long series of communications among candidates, propagandists, commentators, political action groups and voters. The key is the self-motivating exhilaration that accompanies truly effective interaction with information through a good console and a good network to a good computer." Licklider failed to mention reporters, to whom the public looks for sense and an objective depiction of the different sides to each issue. While "horse-race coverage" of who's ahead in the polls can dominate the airwaves, citizens need unbiased, balance treatment of the issues to make informed decisions in the voting booth. Solid reporting aids democracy in national, state and local elections. Reporters must depict a candidate or an issue fairly by providing a comprehensive look at the history of the candidate (i.e. profile with voting record, campaign financing), the policies espoused by the candidate (e.g. education, business, environmental, health, public safety) and the possible effects of those policies (aided by talking to authorities in the area). Reporters must dig for alternative voices to provide a more comprehensive indication of an issue's impact. A lazy reporter kills what little democracy can be found in a republic. National, State and Local
On the national level, the Federal
Elections Commission monitors elections and federal campaign finance laws.
The FEC provides a Press Office
to help media quickly find needed information, including a calendar, news
releases and campaign finance information. Federal and state laws mandate
election cycles, dictate filing deadlines, provide dates for primary and general
elections, and outline rules for runoff elections when one candidate fails to
garner a plurality of votes. The Federal Voting
Assistance Program provides voters information on how, when and where to
vote. Reporters must understand how state
elections work, voting patterns, which party dominates, jurisdictions of state
and local election boards, and who sits on those boards.
Some boards use designated press secretaries to answer media queries and issue
information on voting machine upgrades, ballot changes and other issues.
State boards typically administer the election process, including campaign
finance expense reporting.
Some states allow early voting at one-stop voting sites (e.g. the county
courthouse) that are open for a set period and close prior to Election Day.
The Arkansas Secretary of State (http://www.arelections.org/) helps
by providing filing
information,
statewide results by
location and
contest, voter
turnout and candidate
information. Further in the site you can find pdfs on
Voting Trends
and
Voter Fraud Prevention, while you can also read the historical report
online. The state provides more information on voting in its
Online
Services,
Resident Resources and
Voting 101.
The University of Southern California's Initiative and
Referendum Institute's BallotWatch
provides information on every referendum up for statewide election. The National
Institute on Money in State Politics tracks
data on state legislative
candidates. Project Vote Smart provides voters
information about elections and elected
officials. County election boards typically register voters, count
Election Day ballots, maintain voting records and determine precincts for
voting. Many counties make it easy for voters to register by allowing
registration at libraries or when they renew their driver's license. The law
forbids staff
members at these locations from influencing political preferences or party
registrations, making statements or taking action to discourage an applicant from
registering to vote, or implying that registration will affect getting services.
Voter registration efforts ensure that people who have moved
have also switched their precinct registration; legally, people cannot vote in a
precinct where they no longer live. Voter registration stories note percentage
of voters by party affiliation, by race and ethnicity, and by gender as well as
voting trends in areas of changing populace. Ballot and polling site stories
provide polling site information and sample ballots, which can often be found on
the local election board's Web site. On Election Day, track down
the poll workers who can provide the latest figures on the number of people who
have voted at a particular time. Voters who cannot vote on the proscribed Election Day for whatever reason can
vote by absentee ballot. Each county determines the process for casting an
absentee ballot by mail or in person.
Drew County provides a few things to ponder,
including a
profile,
Political Graveyard, a genealogical
homepage and updates from County offices (through
MonticelloLive?).
& The Election Protection Coalition provided
an
Arkansas Legal Manual in 2004. Candidates While visiting
those sites will provide background research, reporters must practice GOYAKOD to
see candidates in action. They may be running for the local school board or for
president of the United States; don't be awe-struck. They put on their pants one
leg at a time, just like the rest of us. Pre-filing stories
cover people who might be candidates while filing stories can be written on each
new applicant up until the deadline, which often brings out a flurry of
last-second filings. During the filing period, candidates declare their
intentions and pay a filing fee. While a candidate
can withdraw prior to election, occasionally their names still appear on the
ballot. In some cases, candidates who have died still appear on the ballot ...
and even
won.
The good reporter heeds voter
interests in candidates and issues, which will help provide article ideas. Through a profile story, a reporter must tell the public about the
candidate: experience, professional and political background, family ties,
behavior ... anything and everything can be considered fair game if someone
wants to be a public official. Reporters new to the beat might consult political
reporter Robert Niles' web
site. Typically media use agenda-setting to determine issue stories that
provide individual opinions on the issues or a wrap-up with each candidate's
position on a multitude of issues.
With newer candidates, reporters explain the types of stories that
will be written and note opportunities for candidates to get their views and
points covered. Typically, newer candidates also want to know if the media
outlet will endorse their platform or candidacy. Be wary of professional
candidates who always use the same answers to any question or who try to dictate
what stories to cover.
Reporters often travel the campaign trail
with candidates, especially those vying for national office. Reporters
file daily stories on what the candidates say in stops around the country or at
local forums and rallies. It helps to know the candidates' staff, which may
include aides, press secretaries, speechwriters, volunteers and others in a
major race; it may only be their spouse in a local election. Getting to know
whoever it is will help the reporter get inside information during the campaign
and access on Election Night when the returns begin arriving.
Campaign Financing & Endorsements
Campaign spending stories continue to garner a lot of media interest,
especially as candidates conduct multimillion-dollar efforts to get elected.
Many campaigns end up in debt and spend years after an election just trying to
raise funds. Between 1992 and 2000, campaign spending in U.S. Senate races went
from $37.8 million to $66.4 million. The Center for Responsive Politics tracks
campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org;
the Investigative Reporters and Editors organization keeps tip sheets on
elections and campaign finance reporting at
campaignfinance.org.
Reporters write interesting stories about who is giving how much to which
campaign, and can track a campaign's progress by how well a candidate is doing
financially. Donors expect different levels of payback in setting a
political agenda.
If a candidate repays favors through patronage — i.e. who gets what job in
the new administration — major effects could occur on government policies or the official's reelection.
Reporters should determine the campaign's debt after the election and any
fund-raisers planned to alleviate the debt.
Due to the amount of money bandied about, reporters must know about
political action committees, which raise the "hard money" for campaigns along
with candidates and party committees. Members of PACs can be used as sources, but
remember each comes with a particular bias. Registered PACs can be viewed on a
list at the FEC Web site. Corporate PACs make up the largest group, but others
come from labor unions, nonprofit organizations or politically motivated
groups. Any organization can create a PAC, raise money and give it away. Yet
laws limit the amount of money PACs can give to any one candidate during a
primary or subsequent election.
Special-interest groups (e.g. Nature Conservancy, National Rifle Association,
National Abortion Rights League, etc.) may come out in support of candidates
assumed to champion those interests. Special-interest groups include companies,
utilities, financial institutions and politically charged organizations.
Endorsements come from many sources, including candidates beaten in the
primaries who pledge fealty to the winning candidate.
Each endorsement may be a story as some carry substantial weight in
different areas of the country (e.g. an NRA endorsement carries more leverage in
rural than urban areas).
Political advertising stories might critique the content of
political ads to check facts so readers can understand the veracity of the
claims. It never hurts to check SourceWatch (http://www.sourcewatch.org/)
on national and state issues to determine who or what organization is behind
political advertising. Other political advertising stories focus on negative
advertising, examine where ads are placed and detail how much they co$t.
"Soft money" can be raised by party committees (e.g. corporations,
unions, wealthy individuals, groups like MoveOn.org) that focus on issues rather
than candidates. According to the
Columbia
Journalism Review, organizations create
tax-exempt committees to run "issue ads" that do not register with the FEC, and
so their finances often go unreported. Business reporters can help political
reporters identify groups through public records like IRS 990 forms, which
tax-exempt organizations must file.
However, a lot of campaign revenue comes through $100 donations or less
whose names might not be as important. In local elections, reporters should check
all names, addresses and business affiliations: sometimes businesses will give
employees or lobbyists money to make the maximum donation to a certain
candidate. Lobbyists must register with the secretary of state's office or
through the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 at the federal level.
Covering the Vote
On Election Day, reporters follow last-minute campaigning and seek out
candidates for the latest comment as the results pour in. Election night
reporting should include mood, color, reaction, tension and joy, following which
precincts report and predicting winners. Trailing candidates might be reluctant
to concede in tight races, leading to some election nights that drag on until
the wee hours of the morning. Political junkies will stay up all night for the
broadcast results; media writers may file stories without knowing winners to
meet deadlines. However, the election or issues may call for days or weeks of
follow-up stories, especially when candidates demand a recount.
Day-after stories can recap a campaign, cover new material and
leave the audience with something to consider. New angles may appear that
reporters will use when the next election arrives. In the meantime, reporters
tell the public if the new officeholders keep campaign promises, or if they
began supporting legislation influenced by their campaign donors.
If you don't understand something in this Web note, please e-mail Dr. Sitton.
©Ronald W. Sitton 2009 |
