This is going to be a big year for political news. Campaigns are already underway. Presidential hopefuls have begun crisis-crossing the country, testing out campaign themes. Soon, candidates for congressional, local lawmakers, school board members, and others will be doing the same.
What will your public media station do to provide the kind of coverage that your audience wants?
The time to think and plan is now.
If your news staff merely covers a candidate’s speech or rewrites news releases, it probably isn’t meeting the needs of those seeking comprehensive coverage. That kind of reporting is available on local TV radio, and even social media.
Now is the time for your journalists to meet to discuss how your coverage will stand out and make a difference.
The first thing to decide is what political contests you will be your primary focus. If you have a small staff, you will definitely need to prioritize.
What kind of stories will your journalists produce?
What are the important issues in the election?
Now, plan a roadmap of coverage.
Here are some ideas that I have suggested to stations in the past.
Avoid what is known as ‘horse-race’ journalism. Avoid focusing on who is winning in the polls. According to various studies shared by journalistsresource.org, that kind of reporting “shortchanges female candidates, who tend to focus on policy issues to build their credibility. They give novel or unusual candidates an edge. And they also hurt third-party candidates, who often are overlooked or ignored by newsrooms because their chances of winning are usually quite slim compared with Republican and Democratic candidates.”
Make an effort to record an interview with each candidate in the contests you are following. During that interview, your reporter should ask why they are running, what their campaign’s primary focus is, and what voters should know about them.
Now, using those answers, you can produce a profile of each candidate. That’s where you can use their answers about why they are running, profile information, and what issues highlight their campaign. Add to those profiles the track record of those candidates on the key issues.
Then, pieces can be produced that compare each candidate’s position on significant issues. If imposing a new tax is an issue in a campaign, use excerpts from the interviews with candidates in the race so that listeners can compare their positions.
You can also record candidate stump speeches and have political analysts weigh in on what is being said.
Your station might also want to interview members of your audience or ask for their input on the kinds of stories they are most interested in.
Use a creative approach to tell the story of the elections ahead.
What ideas do you have? Please leave your thoughts below, as we can learn from each other.
Dave Edwards managed WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio for more than 30 years and served as Chair of the NPR Board of Directors. He now advises public media stations and professionals. Find out more HERE.
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