Be part of the conversation to set the highest journalism standards for reporting election results and voter turnout in the 2020 election.
The Poynter Institute and its Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership are pleased to present a workshop aimed at elevating the journalism around election results and voter turnout in the 2020 elections. Misunderstanding, misreporting and even mischief after the polls close this November pose a real risk for the proper functioning of the democratic transfer of power.
There’s a good chance that the American public won’t have a quickly announced winner, due to delays from mail-in balloting driven by the coronavirus pandemic. If the race is close, it may take a week to declare who won in races across the country. During that wait, partisans might try to shape the social media narrative through misleading readings of voting returns.
The discussions will help produce a report for wider dissemination to media practitioners and consumers. The conversation will expand beyond national races to touch on local newsrooms covering races pertinent to their communities as well.
As the 2020 national and local campaigns gain traction, it is time to challenge the industry to succeed in the highest standards of journalistic and storytelling excellence.
Be part of the conversation.
Schedule
We will convene experts and journalists online over the course of two days, fostering lively discussion and vetting of best practices. We will host four panels between Sept. 9 and 10, 2020. Replays of all sessions will be available 48 hours after the event concludes.
Morning session: 11 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. Eastern
Afternoon session: 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Eastern
Who should take this course?
We are inviting reporters, editors, academics, public officials, civic groups and election-watchers to apply to participate in a short series of topic-based panels on the 2020 elections. Journalists have a special obligation to report precisely, ethically and authoritatively, rather than being swept up in rumors. Civic groups and elected officials, too, need to be conscientious in gathering verified, authoritative information to share with colleagues, the press and the public.
Faculty
Kelly McBride
Senior Vice President and Chair of Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership
Poynter Institute
Check out the 2020 election panels
Workshop participants will have the opportunity to engage with the panelists via Q&A.
Panelists
Drew McCoy
President
Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ)
Julie Pace
Washington Bureau Chief
The Associated Press
Joe Lenski
Co-founder and Executive Vice President
Edison Research
Geoffrey Skelley
Elections Analyst
FiveThirtyEight
Amy Walter
National Editor
The Cook Political Report
Panelists
Amy Sherman
Staff Writer
PolitiFact
Linda Qiu
Fact-check Reporter
The New York Times
Karen Mahabir
The Associated Press
Paul Specht
Reporter
PolitiFact North Carolina/WRAL
Moderator
Eric Deggans
TV Critic
NPR
Panelists
Caitlin Conant
Political Director
CBS News
Sam Feist
Washington Bureau Chief and Senior Vice President
CNN
Rick Klein
Political Director
ABC News
John Lapinski, Ph.D
Director of the Elections Unit
NBC News
Moderator
Tom Jones
Senior Media Writer
The Poynter Institute
Panelists
Molly Beck
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Greg Bluestein
Political Reporter
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ashley Talley
Enterprise Executive Producer
WRAL
Patricia Mazzei
Miami Bureau Chief
The New York Times
Training sponsors
Training partner
