It takes quite a lot to scare me, and I’m scared.

Over the past decade, I’ve been in a unique position to work with journalists but not live in the daily deadlines of newsroom life. I’ve been able to peek my head up above the concerns of the immediate and track the bigger, longer-term trends happening in democratic backsliding alongside journalism’s corrosion.

I’m scared because I don’t believe most newsroom leaders or journalists feel confident in meeting this electoral moment, and the pace of news will not now, if ever, “slow down enough” to get more prepared.

The threat landscape has greatly expanded since 2020. It now includes state legislatures and state election boards attempting last-minute changes to rules, mounting lawsuits queued up by the GOP to challenge the results should Kamala Harris win, extremism in the military alongside former President Donald Trump threatening to use the National Guard against Americans whom he deems as enemies, and natural disasters that are impeding voting and also sowing discontent with the government through disinformation.

This is in addition to the already formidable foreign and domestic misinformation that reporters dealt with in 2020, and the hostility and growing threats against U.S. journalists.

Any newsroom leader or journalist would be right to feel overwhelmed and outmatched in this wild and shifting information landscape. So what actually can be done now, this late in the game?

Below are a variety of ideas that have been pulled from conversations with experts, alongside tried and tested approaches that can bring out the better parts of human nature and keep you from spiraling out.

Focus on what is in your control

Here’s an example: Are you able to stop the firehose of mis- and disinformation coursing through the infinite spaces where information is being exchanged? Then don’t waste time trying to Whac-A-Mole every lie that crosses your radar. Consider what a threshold would be for your newsroom to intervene and attempt to set the record straight.

If the bad information risks reaching critical mass, is spreading and could have a material impact on people’s ability or right to vote or put people’s health or physical safety in danger, then it’d be wise to use the power of your outlet to report on it. Otherwise, let it go.

When it comes to physical safety and digital security for your newsroom, there is a lot within your control. Check out the Election SOS Scenario Planning Guide for critical questions and resources. The American Press Institute also has this great guide for Election Day prep.

Anticipate the public’s anxieties and engage with them

When so much is on the line and unknown, people are anxious. When people are anxious, they have questions. When people have questions, they want to turn to a trusted source.

Your newsroom is a rare place to find that help. Meet with your team now and brainstorm a list of what people in your community are likely going to be worried about and proactively report on those concerns.

There are many universal questions that voters are going to be wondering and likely there will be more that are specific to the races in your coverage area.

No doubt even if you report the answers to these questions, many people won’t see that reporting. Create ways for your audiences to get in touch with you with their election and certification questions, and answer them — even if it’s just emailing the same link to 100 people with the same question. Of course, many reporters who’ve operationalized engagement practices do this all the time, collecting questions about the voting and certification process, or even asking people what their newsroom could have done to help them feel more prepared to vote. This customer-service approach to news is critically important in times of emergencies, and this election is one of them.

Decide with your colleagues when your business model or instincts should not win out

Most newsrooms have an implicit understanding that if something is interesting and timely, you report on it ASAP. But what happens if there’s a hazard in amplifying information? Will your newsroom have a way to pull back and understand which actions may actually harm the public?

If you don’t have time to go deep with your colleagues and create your own rubric, consider adopting and adapting something like this:

Do not: 

• Amplify unverified rumors or conspiracy theories. Doing so can give false claims more credibility and confuse or panic the public.
• Report on extremist views. It normalizes fringe ideas and can lead to radicalizing vulnerable individuals or legitimizing harmful ideologies.
• Sensationalize threats. It causes fear and anxiety in the public and can lead to disproportionate responses or misallocation of resources.
• Amplify divisive content. Focusing too much on inflammatory statements contributes to deepening societal divisions, more hostile public discourse and the erosion of social cohesion.
• Prematurely report in a crisis situation. It can lead to panic or misguided action. Prioritize being accurate rather than being first.
• Report on an aberrant incident without the denominator. If 340 polling places run smoothly and one has a problem, be sure to highlight the proportionality. If there were 50 peaceful demonstrators and one violent agitator, give that context.

Americans think that those with opposing political views support political violence far more than they do (only 3 to 4% of people across both parties do). The fact is, media reporting is at least partially to blame for this faulty perception. There are many ways you can turn down the heat — from eliminating violent language in your headlines and framing and more accurately depicting the common ground between parties. Check out this Poynter column from Kelly McBride and Gabriel Rodriguez for ways to walk the line between overstating the threats and abdicating the responsibility of reporting.

One more consideration to discuss is the pace at which you’re publishing or broadcasting information. As social media has sped up people’s expectations for immediate information, it can make it feel like good, context-rich and nuanced reporting takes too long. Unless people’s physical lives are in danger and getting them piecemeal information faster is needed, resist the urge to add noise and post when your story can fill in the gaps.

Plan for the future

I know it may sound absurd to direct your attention past November, but the same problems we had going into this election — toxic polarization, distrust in institutions, climate crises, autocratic creep — will still very much be here no matter what the outcome.

Go back to recommendation one and focus on what’s within your control as we wait for the outcomes of the many elections that will be contested that aren’t in your coverage area.

If you’re a local outlet, could you find ways to help your community connect and heal from the division this election cycle has deepened? Might you set up a series of events to reflect on the election in the community, or report on people who did great work to uphold democracy? Could you create a directory of the clubs, member associations and other groups in your area that people can join and start to feel less alienated from their neighbors?

There’s much you can do as a place for trusted information to bring people together, engage them and figure out where we all need and where we go next — that is if you’re willing to see your role more expansively than producing content.

No pause button and no finish line

A sobering fact I learned from legendary international peace-builder John Paul Lederach is that it takes a society on average 10 years to end political violence.

As he said to me in a recent conversation, “We live in a permanently emerging crisis.” There will not be a time “once the crisis is over to get to the real work.” We need to find ways to break that binary and be crisis-responsive while at the same time we’re building a better future. There’s no pause button and no finish line.

For short-term crisis-responsive work, there are many resources available for journalists:

• Election SOS 2024 Scenario Planning Guide
• Protect Democracy’s Media guide: Covering political violence
• Online Violence Response Hub from the Coalition Against Online Violence
• Election Urgent Care: Connecting U.S. journalists to tools and resources in the post-election period
• Reporters Committee Legal Hotline

For longer-term strategic work, check out:

• The Pocket Guide for Facing Down a Civil War. While the printed edition isn’t out yet, the PDF is (for free!) here.
• Take Care, Make Care: Dispatches from the Future of Local News’ Care Collaboratory
• The Democracy Toolkit
• Advancing Democracy Fellowship 
• The HOPE guide to help communities organize to counter political violence, from Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence