Nieman Foundation at Harvard
The business model is still a problem. Misinformation is still a problem. Media manipulation is still a problem. But 250 reporters gathered (at Google’s Chicago office, no less) to talk about how to improve the journalism that they’re doing on a regular basis on the campaign trail — what they can control, as Marty Baron has said, as they are at work, not at war.
This was the Campaign Journalism Conference, put on by the Nieman Foundation and the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics, in its second iteration. But when the same conference happened four years ago, the name “Donald Trump” — surprise, surprise — hardly came up. Obviously things were a bit different this go-round.
Now the man has shaken journalism and journalists for the trends that they missed, or dismissed, in 2016. Countless diner stories and Trump voter profiles have swamped newsrooms as many scrambled to make up for lost ground, and trust. We haven’t seen the full stretch of campaign reporting yet, but as over 300 campaign events have already taken place in Iowa (conveniently tracked by the Des Moines Register), it’s not too late to course-correct coverage looking forward. (There are more candidates than the B-Boys! Stop the horserace!)
"Don’t be so focused on what happened in 2016 and try to avoid those mistakes that you make more mistakes that we’ll have a conference about." – @aterkel #Covering2020
— Christine Schmidt (@NewsbySchmidt) April 11, 2019
So it’s time to get to work — and work differently than in 2016. The Campaign Journalism Conference serves as an introductory point to many first-time campaign reporters, sharing tips on how to pack a bag for the campaign trail, interact with press secretaries, and read polls. But it also can be a gauge on how news organizations are anticipating doing the election’s coverage differently, with speakers from HuffPost, BuzzFeed News, CNN, The Nevada Independent, and more sharing their takeaways.
Here’s how journalists are thinking about reporting differently in the lead-up to November 3, 2020:
We're recapping 2016 a bit first: @elianayjohnson: Trump had no fear of the media. He was fine saying the unsayable, when other Republicans were walking on eggshells.
— Christine Schmidt (@NewsbySchmidt) April 11, 2019
.@sulliview gets metrics of success for #Covering2020:@jbouie: Take what modeling says very seriously. There are limitations, but it's important to not dismiss what it's suggesting. @PeterHamby: Spend time in new spaces, watch and read things that your bosses are not reading.
— Christine Schmidt (@NewsbySchmidt) April 11, 2019
@PeterHamby says being a white man going to black church and barber shop “made me a better reporter because it wasn’t easy.”
Makes you question assumptions. Feeling uncomfortable is a good thing. #covering2020 pic.twitter.com/JecxNV4GRB
— Beatrice-Elizabeth Peterson (@MissBeaE) April 11, 2019
.@SamFeistCNN talks about CNN's dozen-ish town halls in the primaries this year alone. "We're exposing the candidates to voters, not questions from reporters from New York or DC." #Covering2020 https://t.co/7m7cHEdi2b
— Christine Schmidt (@NewsbySchmidt) April 11, 2019
.@jmartNYT tells political reporters at #Covering2020 to hang out at Lululemons AND diners to get a sense of what voters are thinking.
Done and done. pic.twitter.com/OTtB1gJBfS
— Molly Beck (@MollyBeck) April 11, 2019
What is this election actually about? What are the themes, @margarettalev asks@BuzzFeedBen: Movement politics instead of establishment politics@aterkel/@HuffPost: How Trump backlash is playing out on the left@SamFeistCNN: Not knowable yet. Cover the issues #Covering2020
— Christine Schmidt (@NewsbySchmidt) April 11, 2019
Well, a real-life Twitter debate has erupted. @BuzzFeedBen and @SamFeistCNN agree that Twitter can be a tactical tool, but disagree on how much Twitter should be in your reporting process #Covering2020 https://t.co/B0Jy04VLHW
— Christine Schmidt (@NewsbySchmidt) April 11, 2019
.@grynbaum: As editors how much pressure do you experience to assign stories based on Twitter discussion?@BuzzFeedBen: "The worst thing you can do to a reporter is say, 'oh my god did you see this tweet can you write it up.'" #Covering2020
— Christine Schmidt (@NewsbySchmidt) April 11, 2019
I've been sitting a session about the "First Four" primary states for the last hour. My takeaway is that, despite everyone's best efforts, much of the advice is still geared toward horse race journalism. What greater meaning is to be inferred from the First Four? #Covering2020
— Kara Voght (@karavoght) April 11, 2019
.@amyewalter compares polling talk to pre-teens talking about sex: “They know all the words. They talk about it a lot. But they have no idea what they’re talking about.” #Covering2020
— Molly Beck (@MollyBeck) April 11, 2019
Read. Rinse. Repeat. #Covering2020. pic.twitter.com/OvzwkmJANK
— Kara Voght (@karavoght) April 11, 2019
Smart q from @MissBeaE on the role Instagram Live could play in 2020 (it's making its presidential debut!)—esp. since @AOC has wielded it well wrt policy.@AlexConant: "Most campaigns just don't know what to do." Warren's try: "Not to pick on her, that was weird."#Covering2020
— Kara Voght (@karavoght) April 11, 2019
.@amyewalter: Everyone in 2016 was saying "boy, what an anomaly Donald Trump was" when in reality the anomaly would’ve been Hillary Clinton winning. The odds of an incumbent winning three terms in a row is incredibly low. (And the economy is good right now!) #Covering2020
— Christine Schmidt (@NewsbySchmidt) April 11, 2019
.@jeffzeleny: You have the assignment of a lifetime with this campaign. It’s about covering the country, not just the candidate. #Covering2020
— Christine Schmidt (@NewsbySchmidt) April 11, 2019
"We’re acknowledging the electorate is not as much of a monolith as it has in the past… Identity politics is being used to criticize the fact that we pay attention more to groups." @aspillane #Covering2020
— Christine Schmidt (@NewsbySchmidt) April 12, 2019
"At the end of the day [the main issue is] still economics and a sense of inequality," @ajcorchado said of the Latinx vote. "We want to move up the ladder." #Covering2020https://t.co/O0nDwkKWnv
— Christine Schmidt (@NewsbySchmidt) April 12, 2019
.@cjane87 talks about "the fetishization of objectivity/both sides… versus thinking about the people who are most impacted by those issues." Focus on the latter, she recommends. #Covering2020
— Christine Schmidt (@NewsbySchmidt) April 12, 2019
"This is a fickle country. They take you in one generation and want to deport you the next," @ajcorchado says on the importance of including historical context in your reporting.
If you don't, who will? @aspillane points out civics have been cut in many schools. #Covering2020
— Christine Schmidt (@NewsbySchmidt) April 12, 2019
Talking about deciphering Facebook political ads #Covering2020: Here's Facebook's ad archive @LarryGrisolano mentioned https://t.co/jqplDmFF0J and here's some recent context on it from @nytopinion https://t.co/vmQKWVVZBC
— Christine Schmidt (@NewsbySchmidt) April 12, 2019
Wrapping up at @UChiPolitics conf, @AMLwhere quoting Robert Caro: "The way I write about the powerful is by writing about the powerless." Put attention on the voters and the people of this country. Tell their stories at least in equal measure. #Covering2020
— Sheila Krumholz (@skrmhlz) April 12, 2019
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