What journalists need to know about potential threats to the ballot initiative process
In this commentary, the manager of a voter empowerment project discusses what it takes for citizens to get a proposition on the ballot.
Expert Commentary
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Election Beat 2022: What we can learn from predictive models and polls
Will 2022 be a ‘normal’ year for voting on House seats? Academic statistical models predict a Republican win in the 2022 U.S. midterm elections, but opinion polls add a cautionary note.
Expert Commentary
Election Beat 2022: ‘Known unknowns’ in the US midterms
We know reapportionment, redistricting, and a host of new laws affecting ballot access may give Republicans an advantage, writes media scholar Tom Patterson. The unknowns lie in the impact that each of those factors will have.
Expert Commentary
Election Beat 2022: How state laws threaten and weaken voting rights in the US
In the lead-up to the Nov. 8 midterm elections, journalists might want to keep an eye on how state laws are weakening voting rights, writes media scholar Thomas Patterson.
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Election Beat 2022: Don’t forget to cover voter registration deadlines
In the lead-up to the Nov. 8 midterm elections in the U.S., it’s important for journalists to remind their audiences of voter registration deadlines in each state, writes media scholar Thomas Patterson.
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Confirmation bias in journalism: What it is and strategies to avoid it
A behavioral scientist explains why it’s important for journalists to recognize and reduce the influence of cognitive bias in their work.
Expert Commentary
How the Internet of Things poses a threat to journalists
A cybersecurity researcher discusses the IoT devices journalists might encounter at work and at home — and how these devices can threaten their work and wellbeing.
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Election Beat 2020: Blue wave? Red dawn? What’s the future of the Republican Party?
In the last of his Election Beat 2020 columns, Thomas E. Patterson argues that the Republican Party is in trouble.
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Election Beat 2020: Not all battleground states are equal
George Orwell famously wrote, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” So it is with America’s voters. The outcome of today’s election is in the hands of those voters lucky enough
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Election Beat 2020: How news outlets become misinformation superspreaders
How could America’s news outlets, which claim to be guardians of the truth, be a prime source of untruth?
The answer lies in journalists’ routines and their need to attract an audience.
Expert Commentary