2020 Campaign: A News Cycle Unlike Any Other

SAN FRANCISCO-If the year 2020 is any indication, the election this November will bring broadcast stations a share of challenges they've never experienced. Social-distancing restrictions, staff reductions, off-site productions and other constrictions will collide in the midst of an election season unlike any other.

The twin events that have dominated 2020-the spread of the coronavirus and the civil uprising in cities across the nation-have compelled broadcasters to make quick changes, from the technology they use to the way they broadcast.

And that includes the election itself.

NEVER-ENDING DRAMA

What with swirling concerns over mail-in ballots and claims of voter fraud, I think it may be election week or election month, rather than the typical election night, said Sean McLaughlin, vice president of news for The E.W. Scripps Co. So what that looks like impacts how you tell that story.

As a result, broadcasters around the country are taking unique approaches to news coverage, from centralized newscasting to augmented reality options.

Scripps, for one, has decided to take a centralized newscasting approach to its election coverage. With a central desk in Denver and another in Washington, D.C., handling national campaigns, the broadcaster has found nearly everything about this year's election cycle has been flipped on its head.

You have this weird confluence of the political environment, economic fallout and the coronavirus, McLaughlin said. Every day now has a kind of day-to-day news feel. It's certainly one of the odder political cycles.

But the strange tale of 2020 has been a good one for local news. Broadcasters like Sinclair Broadcast Group are giving even greater focus to the impact the elections will have on their local markets.

[W]e have a great opportunity to showcase our commitment to providing unmatched coverage of the 2020 campaigns in each of our markets, said Scott Livingston, vice president of news at Sinclair, which owns and operates 294 TV stations in 89 markets.

The network is highlighting that coverage with a new segment called Beyond The Podium, a feature that allows each station to highlight coverage that's important to that market. The network has stations in Top 10 markets like Washington, D.C. as well as in small markets like that of Kirksville, Mo.

[ Beyond the Podium' is a] sub-brand of the local/station election coverage brand that will help showcase meaningful content that goes beyond the typical sound bite and rhetoric, Livingston said. It will also provide additional context and help viewers understand what we are doing and our commitment to provide additional perspective on the issues and candidates on a local, regional and national level.

Sinclair's Beyond the Podium highlights election coverage tailored to each station's local races. (Image credit: Sinclair)The virtual nature of both the Democratic and Republican conventions meant that broadcasters needed fewer resources because there were very little to no physical events. But there is still a need to provide additional context to what is happening and like all broadcasters, Sinclair is taking advantage of the latest in video conferencing technologies. According to Livingston, the company's Beyond the Podium and Connect to Congress coverage are designed to position Sinclair stations as the political news leader in each market, Livingston said.

Technical advances like Zoom, Skype and Facetime now a part of our normal everyday coverage, and with our coverage commitment year round, we believe we are positioned to create unique content from all our markets.

For Scripps, the company's decision to set up a central news desk several years ago made a big difference when the coronavirus hit. We built up our national desk and [our use of] content sharing and that helped us do our jobs during COVID, said Ray Thurber, vice president of engineering for Scripps, which owns 60 stations in 42 markets.

This election cycle, the company will rely on augmented reality in some markets, with journalists out in the field continuing to meet the company's three goals in this new coronavirus world: employee safety, business continuity and fulfilling the tenets of responsible journalism.

SAFETY AND THE FIRST AMENDMENTThis year-on top of changes to technology and techniques-broadcasters also must focus on safety and rights. The Radio Television Digital News Association, the nation's leading broadcast news organization, is pressing journalists to know their rights when it comes to covering news events, staying safe in the field and in the newsroom, and reporting responsibly.

Much of our election coverage guidance has been contained within the context of a lot of educational and professional development training and resources we have been providing, said Dan Shelley, executive director and chief operating officer for RTDNA. Specifically, we have provided such opportunities in areas such as journalist safety, covering civil unrest, DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] webinars and curriculum.

Sinclair's Livingston agrees; protecting its journalists is of utmost importance. Safety is our top priority and we will continue to re-evaluate policies as we monitor the spread and impact of the pandemic, he said.

For RTNDA's Shelley, it's equally necessary for broadcasters to take the phrase truth and accuracy above all to heart, especially in today's news cycle. It should be part of this election coverage's key tenets, he said, as well as the need for independence and transparency and accountability for consequences.

That is necessary this year more than any other, he said.

This year more than in any election period in the past, I am speaking out to journalists to help them avoid spreading disinformation, the intentional sprea

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