Journalists covering elections in 2024 have combated pervasive mis- and disinformation, documented the rise of political extremism and persevered amid growing attacks on the press. By the end of the year around half of the world’s population, across more than 60 countries, will have been impacted by these major votes. 

The electoral processes, however, have been at varying levels of free and fair. The U.S. presidential decision looms in November, a result that will be watched closely in light of its impact around the globe. 

In a recent Crisis Reporting Forum session, IJNet brought together three journalists who reported on major elections and their aftermath this year in Germany, South Africa and Venezuela. 

Laura Goudkamp, a radio and TV journalist for German broadcaster ARD and an ICFJ Burns Fellow; Janet Heard, managing editor of South Africa’s Daily Maverick; and Dariela Sosa, founder of the award-winning Venezuelan media outlet, Arepita, discussed the lessons they learned and how fellow reporters can apply them in their coverage of future elections.
 

Key challenges
When covering their respective elections, the panelists discussed how they reported accurately while adapting to their complexities.

In South Africa, the ANC party lost its absolute majority for the first time since the fall of Apartheid in 1994. An increase in populist appeals during the campaign and the splintering of parties were critical developments for reporters to stay on top of, explained Heard. “We had a lot more opposition, a lot more parties. A lot of splinter parties and also the rise of some really tricky parties,” she said. “There was also a rise of populism, populist parties [which made] everything just a little bit less certain.”  

Goudkamp’s focus during the German election in early September was on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Striking a balance between giving the movement media attention because of its prominence without amplifying some of its “harmful” views was difficult for journalists, she said: “On one hand, [the AfD’s] presence in the election needs to be reported as part of the democratic process. On the other hand, it's just as essential to not provide an uncritical platform for harmful ideology.”

In Venezuela, where the political opposition had an opportunity to end the authoritarian rule of president Nicolas Maduro, journalists found themselves battling disinformation coming from the government. Although evidence showed that Maduro lost the election by a landslide, Venezuela’s national electoral council ruled that Maduro had won reelection. “What do you do when the very institution meant to safeguard democracy starts operating within a post-truth framework?” said Sosa. 

Informing voters on the stakes
In the face of challenges like these, journalists and newsrooms should work to engage people in politics and push back on disinformation. Reporters should also be intentional about the role they themselves play in elections, the panelists said. “Journalists need to double down on fact-checking, provide context and work together with trusted networks to expose these preferences,” said Sosa. “The goal isn’t just to report the facts, but to unite people who want discussions based on evidence.”

Explaining party platforms in a digestible fashion is an important aspect of election coverage, Goudkamp explained. “Really holding parties accountable, especially [parties like] the AfD, looking into their party manifestos – I think that is really important to let people know what it's saying on so many different political issues, because most of the time they don't really have solutions, right? It’s more about bashing the current coalition on how they are doing,” she said.

Some potential voters are completely burned out with politics even though their elections have major implications, noted Heard. Media organizations should be cognizant of that and use methods like humor to re-engage readers. “Taking a serious matter and putting a light touch on it really does work without becoming too gimmicky. People who are otherwise very avoidant of the news or just exhausted with politics, exhausted with elections, can re-engage,” Heard said. 

To visualize the role of journalism in times of turmoil, Sosa offered a prompt: picture the meme of a dog drinking coffee in a burning house saying, “This is fine.” Good journalism should be like that cup of coffee, she suggested – reliable, consistent and one that readers can confide in. 

“A cup of coffee that raises our audience's awareness without inducing panic; a cup of exceptional coffee, the kind that makes you want to come back tomorrow; a cup that helps our community to make better decisions; and a cup that becomes a comforting daily ritual, a compass that guides us in times of uncertainty,” Sosa said.

Being pro-democracy – but not partisan
Communicating the stakes of elections for democracy while remaining nonpartisan is a difficult line to walk, the journalists said. It is necessary, however, amid growing anti-democracy sentiments.

Journalists must be critical of political rhetoric, especially from extremist parties and movements, and carefully consider how they cover it, urged Goudkamp. “It is really crucial not just using narratives of right-wing populist parties, for example,” she said. “I always try to think twice: Is that the right word to use? Is it loaded? Can I find a narrative that is more nuanced or, you know, more objective?” 

Journalists should strive to be honest and accurate with framing, filtering and word choice, Heard emphasized. “Call out and think about the wording that you use when you are reporting on parties and actually interrogate it,” she said. “We do have a perspective in terms of democracy. We will try and get to the bottom of things fairly and as accurately as we can.”

In order to protect democracy, said Sosa, journalists must know its importance – and make sure their audience does too. 

“Democracy is like a living system: it's imperfect, it needs constant care and vigilance. Our role is to inform the public so they can make informed decisions, and we need to find better ways to communicate effectively when a candidate or action threatens democratic values,” Sosa explained. Without democracy, she said, people would not have a voice. “The day you have a problem with a powerful person or the government, or a corporation or even a drug cartel, you have no rights as a citizen. This is why democracy is important. It's the only system where you really have your rights.”

This article was first published on IJNet.
Story preview photo by Tom Barrett on Unsplash.