Tips on How to Cover, Accurately and Fairly, the 2024 GOP Convention

It will feature an array of speeches from ambitious politicians; colorful hats and vests; eye-catching buttons and posters; after hour parties and all the other hoopla associated with a  national political convention. Like the quadrennial rituals of the past, it will be overtly  partisan and full of hyperbole.

What will make the 2024 GOP Convention different from past gatherings, however, is that it will most likely be built on two major falsehoods, that the 2020 election was stolen from this year's presumptive nominee Donald Trump and that President Biden is behind all of Trump's legal woes, including  local cases brought by New York and Georgia prosecutors. Chances are those lies won't be coming just from Trump but from every other major speaker who has shown fealty to the former president.  

In addition, the Republican National Committee (RNC), which oversees the convention,  is controlled by Trump loyalists, including his daughter in law, who have made election denialism a cornerstone of their  operation.  

This summer's conclave, which takes place in Milwaukee July 15-18, promises to be more or less a  celebration of all things Trump and his MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement.

Therein lies the challenge for journalists who are committed to being truthful and accurate.  How to cover a legitimate news story, the nomination for president by one of the nation's two major parties, at a convention that will be awash in lies?

Noting that political conventions, regardless of party, have long become largely made-for-TV advertisements with little news and ever-falling TV ratings, veteran Chicago Tribune political  reporter Rick Pearson says that he'll approach this year's events as he always has by looking for true elements of news, like emerging fall campaign strategies, potential down-the-road candidates  surfacing and reviewing the major speeches of the night. 

However, he will draw the line when speakers start spreading falsehoods.

"Just because it is a party convention doesn't mean that the speakers get a chance to throw out lies  and unsubstantiated statements as 'facts'," he maintains, adding, "That's something I believe  everyone has learned from the Trump 2016 presidential campaign as well as his presidency."

Pearson maintains that his role isn't to be a campaign stenographer on either side, but to provide context with his reporting--including calling out any falsehoods. 

"Regardless of a person's views of a given candidate, the fact is they are the national political parties' nominees for the nation's top office and that either Trump or Biden will win. Their conventions are worthy of coverage, but also with clarity."

Echoing those sentiments is Richard Greb, a retired journalist who has reported on scores of  national and international events for Reuters, the Associated Press as well as the Tribune. "Reporters should cover the convention in a matter of fact way," he says,  citing as examples, the selection of a vice president, the adoption of key issues on the party platform and the actual  nomination of Trump himself.

Like Pearson, Greb would push back on giving credence to any falsehoods. "If Trump repeats his oft stated claim that the 2020 election was stolen, for example,  I think reporters are on solid ground by mentioning that no proof was given."   

Maintaining that journalists should always stick to their commitment to reporting the truth, he agrees with MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow who has resisted airing Trump's past speeches because of all the falsehoods, opting instead to summarize key points that were made.

According to Ernest L. Wiggins, an independent scholar and professor emeritus at the University of  South Carolina's School of Journalism, the Society of Professional Journalists has done a lot of heavy lifting in establishing standards of practice for news people who strive to report with accuracy and  clarity.

He points out that the four parts of the venerable organization's code of ethics are Seek Truth and Report It, Minimize Harm, Act Independently and Be Accountable and Transparent. "To my mind, reputable working journalists covering either of the political conventions would do  well to keep these principles in mind and conduct their reporting accordingly," Wiggins says.

He points out that the working press pursues truth-seeking through corroboration and verification of  all  statements of fact, independence by staying free of outside (and inside) influences that would try to control content and tone, and accountability through the identification of sources of information and potential conflicts while covering all but most importantly highly partisan events.

"Those are obvious to most people, I think, but minimizing harm might not be, and I think more attention might be given to imagining the danger spreading inaccuracies and lies poses to society."

Looking at the upcoming GOP convention, Wiggins expresses concern about the long term damage that several days of unchecked falseness could have on productive political discourse, assuming that such a thing is still possible. "We have abundant evidence from recent events and distant history to support the concern many of  us feel about democracy's ability to withstand a concentrated barrage of confusion and  misinformation from a candidate and his proxies known for promoting false narratives and  mishandling facts," he says.

Acknowledging that fact-finding in real time would be difficult, Wiggins proposes that news organizations without the resources to conduct such labor-intensive work forego on-the-spot reports and do summaries of  all statements from the podium that were presented as fact.  

"This would allow staffs to verify, clarify, correct or debunk misleading statements and falsehoods,"  he states, adding that it would be up to each news organization how they handle statements from the podium that are opinions and puffery.

Wiggins maintains that they should also let their readers and viewers know in the weeks and days  leading up to the convention what their coverage will entail to help provide pushback for those looking for a full-throated endorsement of their party. "Emphasizing the organization's commitment to seeking truth, remaining independent, being transparent and minimizing harm through careless reporting should be enough for fair-minded news consumers," he observes.

Betsy Edgerton, an associate professor in the Communication Department at Columbia College Chicago, agrees about the need for strict adherence to guidelines established by the Society of Professional Journalists. "Reporters must show their work, so to speak, in less of a "Democracy dies in darkness" mission statement and more of an FAQ that puts the Society of Professional Journalists' ethics statement in plain language and local context," she says, adding that news outlets should present this explanation in both English and Spanish.

Edgerton observes that journalists really face two challenges in covering both major conventions this summer: sorting truth from fiction and engaging news fatigued Americans.

Citing a study conducted by the Pew Research Center that shows a majority of Americans are already worn out by election coverage, she emphasizes the need for journalists to keep a laser focus on the issues that are most crucial to their readers, listeners and viewers, especially underserved audiences.

"News outlets should continuously push that message on social media, on the website and in print,"  she says.  "They can take a tip from The New York Times and create audio or video clips that humanize reporters as they describe how they cover political news." 

Edgerton further maintains that local news must define for their audiences what their mission is: to faithfully serve their hometown audience and follow the truth.