News & Events

Our two newest resources are media guides for covering elections. These two guides are available to you at no cost, with a limit of one download per order.

We offer these media guides to inspire political coverage that leads to a more informed electorate, disempowers bad actors in the system, and fuels trust of professional journalism within our audience. Research shows that reform can’t be incremental, as the current customs in political coverage are causing harm. We need to interrogate our choices and make radical change, when necessary, to not just stop causing injury but become a useful and positive force in American democracy. Here’s the good news: research shows that making these changes is both possible and likely to have a positive effect on our nation. We can move the needle. Scientists at the University of Florida analyzed coverage of the 2016 and 2020 elections and concluded that “journalists have the power to change the tone of the 2024 presidential campaign, as our findings revealed that media coverage shaped campaign communication as much as campaigns influenced media coverage.” We can do this. And we must.

“Dog whistles” are phrases and remarks that are designed to convey a discriminatory message or tap into racist assumptions using language that is, on the surface, innocent and neutral. When dog whistle phrases are used strategically, in order to influence voters, it doesn’t really matter whether the person using them is a bigot or not. What’s important is that these comments tap into underlying beliefs among the public and can motivate voters. With elections drawing ever closer, it’s crucial that we all become sensitive to political parties’ attempts to manipulate us through our unconscious biases and damaging stereotypes. Dog whistles are always deliberate. Many of these phrases have been used so often and are so good at flying under the radar, they’ve been adopted by journalists and political analysts and are now used regularly. Therefore, we have created a guide to reporting on dog whistles for writers and journalists.