Dear readers,

After an exciting, exhausting campaign season, Election Day in America is finally here, and The Journalist’s Resource is here to help you cover it. 
 
Hot off the WordPress, media scholar Thomas Patterson shares several tips for reporting the results of local, state and national races.
 
“This year’s election underscores a deeply polarized, potentially volatile electorate,” writes Patterson, the Bradlee professor of government and the press at Harvard Kennedy School. “How the vote returns are covered could profoundly influence the public’s reaction. Everything from the perceived legitimacy of the election to the public’s understanding of the voting process could rest on how reporters present the returns. Transparency, accuracy and restraint should be the guiding principles.”
 Patterson urges journalists to explain why we may not know the results of some races for days — including the race for the presidency. 
 
«In several key states, including Pennsylvania, mail-in ballots aren’t counted until Election Day, meaning results may take days to finalize,» Patterson writes. «Journalists should emphasize that these numbers are incomplete and that the race may shift as more ballots are counted. Repeatedly reinforcing that the count is ongoing helps to set realistic expectations and prevent premature conclusions.»
 
Read “6 Election Day reporting do’s and don’ts.” 
 
Then check out a few more of our resources to inform and support your Election Day coverage:

• How bad weather affects Election Day voter turnout: Rain, snow and other types of bad weather can discourage in-person voting. Recent research shows how expanding mail voting and early and absentee voting can reduce the impact.
• How The Associated Press calls elections: In this recording of an Oct. 30 webinar, journalists from The Associated Press and two large local newspapers share insights on how the AP calls races in the U.S, how the count and certification processes work, and how reporters across the country use and convey that information.
• Reporting on violence and threats against U.S. election workers: More than one-third of election officials — 38% — have experienced “threats, harassment, or abuse” specifically because of their job, finds a 2024 survey of 928 local election officials conducted by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University.
• Self-care tips for journalists: We share some simple tips to help journalists improve their mental health — in a time when too many of them are facing threats and harassment for doing their jobs, too.

… Yours in knowledge,

Carmen Nobel
Program director and editor-in-chief of The Journalist’s Resource