By Nicola A. Menzie

For voters navigating the ever-complex political landscape, understanding candidate stances on critical issues like the economy, immigration, abortion and climate change holds far greater value than tracking fluctuations in opinion polls. However, "horse race" coverage, fixated on fleeting poll numbers and campaign theatrics, remains deeply ingrained in media narratives and can be a hard habit to kick.

A Feb. 6 webinar hosted by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas and The Solutions Journalism Network featured New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen and journalists Natalie Van Hoozer, Hugo Balta and Elliot Wade. Hosted by Jaisal Noor, the Democracy Initiative manager at The Solutions Journalism Network, the webinar drew more than 500 participants hailing from the United States, Mexico, Brussels, Argentina, Zambia, Pakistan and elsewhere eager to explore alternative strategies instead of the typical who’s winning/losing narrative. Titled "Putting People First: A New Approach to Political Coverage," the event presented “The Citizens Agenda Approach to Election Coverage for Journalists,” a 10-point framework championed by Rosen.

This approach emphasizes prioritizing community concerns, urging journalists to actively listen and engage with voters. Instead of newsrooms relying solely on polls and punditry, the framework suggests asking readers a simple yet powerful question: "What do you want the candidates to be talking about as they compete for votes?"

"Rather than starting with the candidates, the race, or strategy, begin with the people you aim to inform," stated Rosen, who is known for his "the stakes, and not the odds" principle in political coverage. He emphasized that even listening to just a handful of voters provides more value than reporting on who’s ahead in the polls.

The ultimate aim is for newsrooms to synthesize, categorize and frame these community responses into a prioritized agenda for campaign coverage. "The Citizens Agenda" becomes a living document, publicly accessible and continuously revised as new concerns emerge and community feedback is incorporated.

However, ensuring candidates address these community-identified issues can be challenging. Van Hoozer, a bilingual journalist at KUNR Public Radio in Reno, Nevada, suggested framing questions as stemming from constituents, not the newsroom itself. “Then [candidates] see how it's in their interests to then get answers back out to those potential voters,” she said.

The benefits of this style of reporting extend beyond simply informing readers. The Current of Louisiana, where Wade works as a community reporter, adopted this people-first approach and has witnessed increased brand awareness, inspired policy changes and greater reader trust.

Balta, publisher of the Latino News Network, emphasized the importance of transparency and consistency. “It's not about trying to please everybody,” he said. “But people, the audience, the public will respect you as long as you're transparent about where you stand and what your approach is.” 

While listening to readers first is not a novel concept (dating back to 1992, according to Rosen), it has been overshadowed by the dominance of coverage based on the polls and the increasing polarization of the media landscape. The webinar served as a powerful reminder of the potential to revitalize public trust and engagement.

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism revealed in its 2023 Digital News Report that trust in the news has been declining in much of the world. In the U.S. most consumers identified fake news or misinformation as a major concern and a reason for avoiding the news. Noor acknowledged this trend as he closed out the webinar. “Actually listening to your community in a meaningful way and giving them the information they need to be informed has positive results,” he said.

This webinar was a precursor to a new massive open online course (MOOC) scheduled for April. The future course is structured to equip participants in audience engagement, solutions reporting and trust-building as alternatives to focusing exclusively on the polls.

As Rosen stated, "You can't beat horse race journalism unless you have something better to offer." Putting people first presents a promising path toward a more informed and engaged democracy, one that prioritizes substantive discourse and empowers voters through community-driven coverage.

Editor’s Note: Nicola A. Menzie previously received a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network for faith-based reporting on climate change. She was also in the 5th cohort of CivicStory's Sustainability Reporting Fellowship.

Nicola A. Menzie is a journalist focusing on the intersection of faith, race, and culture. Nicola’s bylines have appeared on the websites of Christianity Today, Sojourners Magazine, Washington Post, Religion News Service, CBS News, Vibe magazine, and others. She is the founder and managing editor of Faithfully Magazine.