Tell media executives: Get your election coverage right.

Friend,

Did you watch the debate last night? If so, our condolences.

If not, congratulations on taking care of your mental health because it — like much of 2020 — was a disaster.

During the debate, President Trump refused to condemn white supremacy¹ and spread disinformation about mail-in ballots in an effort to undermine the electoral process.² Between that and the onslaught of disinformation and hate speech that was already proliferating across social media, the integrity of the 2020 election is in danger.

This is precisely why we need the news media to take immediate action to protect the election in the coming days and weeks.

We have outlined six actions that we believe are essential for the media to take to ensure that outlets do not fuel chaos in the 2020 election.

Click here to demand that the news media take these actions:

1. Do not repeat baseless claims of voter fraud.
2. Reject coverage that fuels partisanship, hate and violence.
3. Cover and confront Trump’s attempts to derail the election directly. Don’t default to “both-sides” framing.
4. Support and amplify local-news reporting on voter-suppression tactics and intimidation.
5. Prepare your audience now for an election that will likely not be decided on election night.
6. Protect the integrity of the election by declaring “winners” only after all votes are counted — including mail-in ballots. Challenge any attempt to halt vote tallying.

In the wake of the first presidential debate, we are waking up to headlines about “winners and losers” — and who raised the most money afterwards. Meanwhile the Proud Boys — which the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated a hate group — are celebrating Trump’s comments to “stand back and stand by.”³

The media must take action to keep the nation from descending into a state of complete chaos as people start heading to the polls: Tell ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, NBC, the Associated Press and other prominent outlets that we need them to challenge lies and prioritize accuracy in their reporting.

While sensationalism and hyperbole may be good for ratings, they will only add more tinder to the fire.

Urge the media to step up in this crucial moment.

Thanks for all that you do,

Mike, Candace and the rest of the Free Press Action team
freepress.net

1. “From Debate Stage, Trump Refuses to Denounce White Supremacy,” NPR, Sept. 30, 2020
2. “‘Dumped in Rivers … Creeks … Wastebaskets’: Trump’s Falsehoods on Mail-in Ballots,” NBC News, Sept. 30, 2020
3. “Proud Boys Celebrate Trump’s ‘Stand By’ Remark About Them at the Debate,” The New York Times, Sept. 30, 2020