The Media and Democracy Project (MAD), along with 3,258 supporters, has issued an open letter to media executives, publishers, and union leaders, urging them to adopt pro-democracy election coverage guidelines. These guidelines emphasize fact-based reporting, counteract election misinformation, and promote the importance of voting. MAD's initiative seeks to shift journalistic focus from sensationalism to substantive issues, reflecting the critical role of media in a functioning democracy.
Brian Hansbury, cofounder of MAD, highlighted the urgency of this shift, stating, "It's time that newsrooms start to cover elections like they matter more than sports scores." He emphasized that democratic institutions are under attack and that newsrooms must recalibrate their political coverage to be "pro-truth, pro-voting, and pro-democracy."
The guidelines put forth by MAD encompass 18 specific recommendations, categorized into three main areas: substantive issues coverage, extensive reporting on threats to democracy, and protection against disinformation. Key actions include prioritizing coverage of issues that impact voters' lives, ensuring accurate and informative headlines, avoiding excessive focus on polls, and holding politicians accountable for their actions and statements. Importantly, the guidelines also call for celebrating the role of election workers and voters in the democratic process.
The open letter underscores the critical need for voters to understand the stakes of upcoming elections and the detrimental effects of election lies. For example, falsehoods about the 2020 election have led to a rise in death threats against election officials and poll workers, complicating efforts to recruit and retain them. Furthermore, half of all female state legislators are contemplating leaving office due to increased intimidation. Concurrently, plans like Project 2025 by Trump allies threaten to undermine democratic systems and harm millions of Americans.
Among the notable signatories of the letter is Ruth Ben-Ghiat, NYU Professor of History and author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present. She stressed the importance of clear and precise analysis of threats to U.S. democracy, asserting that Americans deserve a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced in upcoming elections. Similarly, Mark Jacob, former Chicago Tribune editor and author of the Stop the Presses newsletter, pointed out that media outlets must recognize their duty to alert the public about significant threats to democracy, just as they would for natural disasters.
Norm Ornstein, political scientist and Senior Fellow Emeritus at the American Enterprise Institute, echoed the sentiment, stating, "Democracy is at stake—and as the open letter so powerfully demands, we need our news media to step up and be responsible." The call to action is clear: journalists and media organizations must prioritize the public interest, uphold democratic values, and commit to truthful and comprehensive election reporting.
For more information about this initiative and to view other signatories of the open letter, visit MAD’s website.
