Now Is The Time For Local TV To Get It Right
Now Is The Time For Local TV To Get It Right - NewsLab
This post was originally published on this site
I am truly worried about this election. I bet you are too. What is a local TV newsroom to do?
Election Day is but one week away and with millions having already voted, you might think there is little left for local broadcasters to do but report the results. Clearly, reporting who won and who lost is critical and getting it right is table stakes for every newsroom in this country, but what you do between now and next Tuesday has the potential to cement your reputation as a reliable source for your community or, if not handled correctly, leave it in tatters.
This past weekend, we heard the outcry following the Washington Post’s 11th-hour decision not to endorse a presidential candidate despite having done it consistently for decades. More than 200,000 subscribers have reportedly dumped their WaPo subscriptions in protest and several of their key editorial writers have already resigned. No one knows what this will mean for the Post in the long run, but it all feels like an unforced error on the part of owner Jeff Bezos, who has since said it is a “meaningful step in the right direction” toward Americans regaining lost trust in the media.
While local television news has never been in the endorsement business, now is the time to double down on substantive election reporting that provides solid, irrefutable facts that will help inform a nervous, anxious public.
Do you have a reporter at the local Board of Elections in your market? They should be there daily explaining
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: nuclear
Nuclear energy provides almost 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Advocates have called for an expanded role for nuclear as an emissions-free fuel source. But the economics of building new reactors are daunting. In addition, lingering safety concerns are an institutionalized part of the calculation of nuclear regulation, and highly radioactive nuclear waste remains a can that public officials have been inclined to kick down the road. The Energy Information Administration projects a sharp decline in nuclear power generation over the next decade, as new nuclear plants — two are planned — are more than offset by anticipated retirements of several operating reactors.