Fact checking, AI remain top of mind in post U.S. election coverage

By Katalina Deaven

Communications Coordinator

Center for Media Engagement

Austin, Texas, USA

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Though Election Day has passed in the United States, newsrooms will still be navigating election coverage in the coming months.

To learn more about newsrooms' strategies, Center for Media Engagement Director Talia Stroud spoke to 10 news editors in battleground areas. These are four takeaways that will continue to resonate in post-election news coverage.

Factual, thorough coverage of the U.S. elections did not end with the actual election.

Fact-checking

The general sentiment among the editors was that fact-checking is critical. However, limited resources coupled with an overwhelming amount of misinformation means that fact-checking is not a priority for all newsrooms.

Editors who are taking on the task noted the limitations. One editor said: "There is misinformation all over the place and we really have to pick and choose what we're going to care about. It sounds awful, but we have to. We have to choose our battles."

Though a lack of resources often curtailed newsrooms' abilities to fact-check, some editors also felt it wasn't their role. One editor shared that their readers didn't want them to be the deciders of what is true and what isn't.

Another editor who is engaged in fact-checking efforts in a newsroom said even though they have a responsibility to share when something is wrong, fact-checking "makes some of the reporters a little uncomfortable because they feel like it's bordering [on] editorialising."

Post-election role

When it comes to post-election coverage, there was consensus that high-quality reporting is crucial. One editor said, "Personally, my view of the news industry's role in trying to keep the temperature level [down] is to do our job [and report] the truth, as best we can figure it out."

Some editors felt helping people sort out their concerns was a clear aspect of their work, with one editor saying their newsroom's role is to identify "common interests and concerns across the county, across political divisions, and then hopefully start[ing] some conversations around those common areas of concern and interest."

AI in the newsroom and beyond

Even though many editors had reservations, there was general optimism about the benefits of using AI in the newsroom, such as using it to quickly analyse transcripts, caption and organise photos, generate headlines, and summarise content.

There were some concerns about AI used to spread misinformation and rip off copyrighted content. None of the editors had seen AI-generated political content in their community, but most editors said they would reach out to a candidate directly if they suspected a message was AI-generated.

Navigating lack of resources

There was overall concern about navigating election reporting while dealing with limited resources. When asked what one thing they would wish to help them with coverage, the editors overwhelmingly asked for more staffing.

Even in the face of these challenges, editors shared several election projects they were proud of, including Q&A's, panel discussions, and candidate forums.

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About Katalina Deaven

Katalina Deaven is the communications coordinator at the Center for Media Engagement located in Austin, Texas, USA. She can be reached at [email protected] or @EngagingNews.

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