Threats to U.S. Democracy

For a responsible free press, guarding democracy is akin to “watching a leak.” Read more on how to cover threats to U.S. Democracy and what some newsrooms are doing to combat the issue.

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It’s Time for Newsrooms to Defend Democracy

By James Geary• Threats to U.S. Democracy• September 15, 2022

November 8 is the date of the midterm elections, but today — September 15 — is Democracy Day. An initiative of news industry leaders at Hearken, the Center for … Read more

American Democracy is Under Threat — and Newsrooms Are Mobilizing to Cover It

By Celeste Katz Marston• Features• June 13, 2022

Think about a “threat to democracy,” and it’s easy to conjure up an image of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — the nation’s very seat of government besieged by rioters convinced that the presidential election was rigged. Read more

The Media and the Ballot Box: Confronting 21st Century Voter Suppression

By Celeste Katz Marston• Features• December 15, 2021

In the fall of 2020, voters across the country waited in long lines to cast their ballots in a pivotal election, with press on hand to cover the action. One Georgia TV reporter talked to an upbeat voter who … Read more

Covering Extremism: “As Exhausting a Beat as It Is Important”

By Celeste Katz Marston• Features• March 30, 2021

Seyward Darby’s book on women in the white nationalist movement, “Sisters in Hate,” grew out of a detailed piece of reporting she published in Harper’s in 2017. But that wasn’t the first place … Read more

After the Capitol Riot, Journalists Contend with Rage against the Media

By Celeste Katz Marston• Journalist’s Trade• January 12, 2021

Most days, Paul Gillespie keeps himself to photographing the news, not commenting on it. January 6, 2021, wasn’t one of those days. As violent pro-Donald Trump rioters laid siege to the U.S. Capitol, disrupting congressional certification of … Read more

Without a Campaign to Cover, Reporters Shift to Covering the Voting Process Itself

By Casey Quackenbush• Politics• May 12, 2020

As Patrick Marley moved down the queue of voters lined up near a high school in Madison, some of his interviewees had to shout. Six feet apart is not ideal for a personal conversation about politics, especially on the … Read more