Election Records and Fast Paced Reporting
Intern
It’s an exciting time with this year’s presidential primaries breaking many boundaries including voter participation and ability of reporters to follow the campaign trail closer than ever before with new digital technologies.
The primaries have seen record voter turnout, and as they progress, more records are expected to be broken. Yesterday’s Potomac primaries saw record participation; in Virginia there was a 130 percent increase in Democratic voters compared with 2004.
Also, new technologies are allowing reporters to cover the election faster than past elections. Tiny cameras and portable computers allow one reporter to do the job of an entire crew; they are able to record footage and quickly file it online.
An article in the New York Times earlier in the week talked about the rise the these “off-air” reporters on the campaign trail, who are hired by news organizations to follow the candidates and filing video and blog posts as the news happens.
Although keeping close tabs on the candidates is good, the voters’ point of view and the voting process needs to be closely documented too. After issues with the 2000 presidential election including the fact that Al Gore won the citizen vote but lost the presidency and questionable vote counts in Florida, it’s safe to say that at least 48.4 percent of Americans are weary of the voting process.
I think these new reporting methods mixed with the record increase in political participation this election make it the perfect time for journalists to step in and report about the election from the voters’ point of view, similar to our documentary, Election Day, which follows voters at the polling places on the day of the 2004 presidential election. The film gives the perspective of voting from a human point of view; the problems, concerns and overall experiences.
Maggie Bowman, one of the producers of the documentary, wrote a reflective blog post about the film on Free Press last week. She brings up a very good question:
Almost anyone now can record on a pint-sized camera, or even a cell phone, and then quickly put the footage online for all to see. New, portable and fast paced reporting techniques have the potential to make this year’s presidential election transparent to voters.
Posted by Brittany Mayne
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