3 Tips for Covering Elections

As 2024 is shaping up to be the most significant election year yet, newsrooms around the globe are gearing up to capture the world's attention. Here, we offer 3 tips to make your election coverage stand out.

Here's what you can expect from today's newsletter:        

• Best advice for covering the elections... Not covering the elections? Advice from Eric Nuzum, a cofounder of Magnificent Noise.
• Leveraging pre-coverage preparations to connect with readers: Tips from Lynn Walsh of Trusting News.
• Making elections captivating with new (old?) formats: Mx3 Interview with Naomi Owusu.

Best advice for covering the elections... Not covering the elections? ??

Well, not exactly, but Eric Nuzum , a cofounder of Magnificent Noise , suggests going beyond "the incremental news of the day, the latest polling, and endless opinions on the state of play."

Readers will likely be fed up with all that in 2024. To stand out:

• Frame election coverage differently. Instead of focusing on who has the best chances of winning, delve into topics like the impact it will have.
• Allocate resources to cover stories beyond elections. While reporters' skills for covering elections are essential, they are equally crucial for serving the audience's need to think about something else, feel something different, and just take a break.

| For more advices and predictions for 2024 from media industry leaders, check out the Nieman Journalism Lab page.

Leveraging pre-coverage preparations to connect with readers ??

Strategizing coverage is a critical and time-consuming task preceding the elections. Newsrooms must determine priorities, information sources, fact-checking procedures, and more.

However, when the elections coverage begins, all these preparations often go unnoticed by the public.

In a Trusting News article, Lynn Walsh explains strategies for newsrooms to connect with their audience and prevent potential mistrust resulting from this lack of awareness:

• Crafting an elections/politics mission statement. Similar to an organizational mission statement, this should focus on how you cover races, politicians, voting, etc.
• Developing a FAQ page. A casual, conversational page that provides readers with easy access to information about how you cover elections.

| Of course, ensuring these resources are visible and easily accessible to the public is crucial. For a deeper dive into how various newsrooms make their strategies transparent by communicating them to public, check out the full article by Trusting News.

Making elections captivating with new (old?) formats ??

Media Makers Meet - Mx3 also caught up with our CEO, Naomi Owusu , to dive into the significance of liveblogging, including in election reporting.

Live blogs as a genre isn't a newfound concept; The Guardian 's Daily Politics live blog has been around for more than 25 years now.

The inherent authenticity of liveblogging makes it a powerful reporting tool: journalists report the unfolding story in real time, and readers witness the news in the making. The continuous flow of bite-sized updates ensures a comprehensive understanding, empowering readers to shape their perspectives.

Here's what you can do to nurture dialogue and engagement on your elections live blogs:

? Incorporate comment sections and live Q&A sessions to encourage readers to share their voting experiences, questions, and concerns related to the elections.

? Integrate polls and surveys within the live blog to gauge reader opinions on election candidates, policies, and other relevant topics.

? Provide links to external articles, guides, and resources to enhance reader engagement and understanding of the electoral process, voting procedures, and candidate platforms.

? Diversify your coverage by inviting political analysts, academics, and other experts to contribute their perspectives and insights to the live blog.

| Read the full Mx3 interview with Naomi here.

#TeamTickaroo recommends:        

• Election coverage for better engagement, retention and revenue?by Naomi Owusu in the Digital Content Next article.
• Covering elections: how to not let politicians steal the narrative by Journalism.co.uk .
• Election Reporting Toolkit by International Journalists' Network (IJNet) .

> Liveblog Highlight Section <        

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung launched its US Election live blog over 3 months ago. Since then, they've been consistently updating readers on the unfolding events.

The organized structure of the live blog and bite-sized updates featuring analysis, external articles, and embeds make the intricate election process more accessible to readers. Well liveblogged!

Big thanks for sticking with us, and see you soon!

Happy Liveblogging,

Tickaroo Team

Tickaroo is your live content software expert. Based in Regensburg, Germany, we equip publishers to effortlessly deliver real-time updates, captivating content, and standout live coverage. From breaking news to events and sports, we've got the tools to make your coverage a success. Interested in more? Let's chat!