Fund ‘democracy coverage’
Misinformation is hardly a new problem, but it often spikes around breaking news events. Racist narratives and conspiracy theories have rapidly escalated in recent years. Misinformation from across the political spectrum about almost any political topic is rampant.
The good news is that we know more about the solutions today than ever before. The missing piece is the scale of resources needed to respond to today’s challenges adequately. We now live in a world where people who believe in democracy must fight those who do not with our money.
Donors to democracy can address these challenges by combating misinformation and amplifying trustworthy information. Both actions are essential this election year and beyond to ensure communities have the necessary information to make decisions that impact their daily lives. It’s not too late to invest in this strategy.
Four ways that pro-democracy funders can act now are:
1. Fund the organizers and experts who are mobilizing against misinformation. They are working to disrupt bad actors, hold Big Tech accountable, and intervene against harmful and false information campaigns targeting voters, particularly communities of color.
2. Fund news operations that are sharing trustworthy information. Newsrooms have the ideas, strategies and motivation to meet this moment and are ready to move with more resources.
3. Protect the messengers vulnerable to physical, digital and legal threats. Small independent news services and freelancers are especially exposed, particularly those serving communities with high levels of political polarization and voter suppression.
4. Ensure news operations have the flexibility to adapt to an unpredictable political environment. They need the flexibility to plan, respond to challenges and maintain operations. Restricted funding can lead to short-term solutions at the expense of long-term organizational health. Our funding practices can evolve to better meet their needs by offering multi-year, general operating support whenever possible, extending the timeline of grants, or reducing reporting requirements.
The need for trusted information doesn’t end on Election Day. Fully funded democracy reporting would cover the decisions made about our voting system year-round by legislatures, courts and local officials and track voter suppression efforts. It would allow the space to build stronger relationships with the community and the expertise to explain how national patterns impact local events. This coverage requires donors to think of democracy and elections coverage not as a seasonal activity but as an ongoing process. The status quo is not an option and never was.
Craig Corsini lives and writes in San Rafael.
