Election Coverage: Organizing

Transcript

1. Election Central 2016 Are you ready for 2016 elections? Getting Organized Jim Pumarlo
2. Our agenda  Campaign coverage, from start to finish  Create calendars  Internal, external calendars  Introduce yourself to candidates  Explain your coverage
3. Let’s have a conversation  What do you want to learn about organizing coverage?  What is your biggest challenge?
4. Plan all aspects of coverage  Stress fairness, consistency  Develop guidelines  Assign responsibilities  Set dates  Explain policies  Within your organization  To your readers
5. Campaign calendar: Internal  Standard ‘to do’ list  Bios  Photos – uniform color, size  Develop questions  Schedule interviews
6. Campaign calendar: External  Continuum of coverage  Candidate forums  Don’t pre-empt endorsements  Candidate finances
7. Introduce yourself to candidates  Welcome them  What you need to know  What they need to know  Contact information  Their campaigns  News, advertising staffs
8. Explain: We’ll be at convention ‘The R-E made a conscious decision not to cover the county conventions this year. Money was not an issue. We do plan to attend the 1st District congressional conventions.’
9. Underlying principles  Fairness and consistency  Rights and responsibilities
10. Don’t be overwhelmed  Take deep breath  One step at a time  Immediate steps  Long-term goals  Team effort
11. Solid coverage pays dividends  Connect elections to everyday decisions  Enrich community dialogue  Advertising opportunity  Strengthen your position as source for news
12. Community Newsroom Success Strategies “Bad News and Good Judgment: A Guide to Reporting on Sensitive Issues in a Small- Town Newspaper" "Votes and Quotes: A Guide to Outstanding Election Campaign Coverage" "Journalism Primer: A Guide to Community News Coverage for Beginning and Veteran Journalists in the Age of New Media" Jim Pumarlo Newspaper Consultant Red Wing MN (651) 380-4295 jim@pumarlo.com www.pumarlo.com