With a little over two months to go until the 2024 general election, the NAB has announced a multi-pronged approach to bolster election coverage capabilities for broadcasters. The comprehensive initiative includes a digital toolkit plus live and digital events.
Emphasizing training, resources, and strategies to navigate the intricate landscape of digital information and misinformation, the NAB’s Election Toolkit provides broadcasters with strategies for engaging voters and building trust, crucial for maintaining viewer loyalty and credibility.
Adding on to previous efforts by the NAB comes a specific Hispanic “Get Out The Vote” Toolkit. This targets strategies to boost voter turnout and engagement within the US Hispanic community, recognizing the demographic’s growing influence in American electoral politics.
In collaboration with the Radio Television Digital News Association, the NAB will host a virtual learning event on September 9. Titled “Building and Maintaining Trust in Election Coverage,” the webinar is designed to empower broadcasters with effective strategies to cultivate trust and combat misinformation.
The culmination of the NAB’s new efforts will occur at NAB Show New York on October 10 at the Election Coverage Summit. This summit will delve into media bias, the use of AI and social media in newsrooms, and strategies for post-election reporting. The session aims to prepare journalists for the challenges of election coverage in a highly polarized environment.
NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt said, “This is a critical time for our nation and our democracy. Broadcast journalists serve a pivotal role in educating voters on the candidates, the issues and the electoral process, and NAB is here to support them in these efforts. As bad actors increasingly use advanced technologies to create and spread disinformation, the role of local broadcasters as custodians of the truth has never been more important.”
The detailed programming and resources provided by NAB aim to transform broadcasters into more resilient and adaptive information providers, capable of meeting the demands of a rapidly changing media landscape.
