Democracy Day: A nationwide collaborative

Learn more about Democracy Day:

How newsrooms across all 50 states came together for U.S. Democracy Day 2024

On September 15, 2024, newsrooms across the U.S. came together for the third annual U.S. Democracy Day. This year, our national pro-democracy reporting collaboration — which coincides with the International Day of Democracy — saw unprecedented levels of participation and community impact.

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What is U.S. Democracy Day and how does it work?

Watch (and share) this video to learn about this historic nationwide collaborative reporting project!

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THE PROBLEM

DEMOCRACY IN THE U.S. IS UNDER THREAT
The U.S. Democracy Day collaborative got its start ahead of the midterms in 2022. It launched as an effort to encourage news organizations across the country to report more — and better— information about the crisis facing democracy here.

We coalesced around one common publishing/broadcasting date: Sept. 15, which is the International Day of Democracy. A total of 400 news organizations participated, including the Gannett chain and dozens of nonprofit and independent outlets.

2024 will be a watershed year for American democracy regardless of election resolutions. We look forward to helping news organizations build muscle and capacity for what’s to come.

Thanks to support from Democracy Fund, the organizing committee for U.S. Democracy Day has some exciting plans for this year to accomplish just that. We’re planning training webinars, in-person events, content sharing and more.

THE GOAL

DRAW ATTENTION TO THE CRISIS AND HOW INDIVIDUALS CAN RESPOND
Democracy Day is an effort to draw attention to this crisis, provide the public with the context and information they need, and bring all types of media together to sound the alarm collectively.

THE PLAN

INCENTIVIZE MEDIA COVERAGE THROUGH A NATIONWIDE COLLABORATIVE
We’d like to provide clear explanations of what’s happening (and what could happen), give practical information on what members of the public can do, and uncover new revelations related to anti-democratic efforts.

We have chosen Sept. 15 as a day when print, radio, TV, and digital media on the national and local level will come together to report on the threat we’re facing. This will include original reporting, aggregations of existing reporting, and op-eds. Through the collaboration, we’ll make some Creative Commons reporting free for all to republish and use across various mediums.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND

HOW THIS COMPLEMENTS OTHER WORK + HOW IT STARTED
We know that some newsrooms are already thinking about this, and some are even building teams to focus on democracy, like at the Washington Post. Newsrooms like KPCC and the Long Beach Post, meanwhile, are shifting their political coverage to focus on democratic erosion and the voters themselves. We hope this effort will light a fire under newsrooms that haven’t yet thought about this coverage strategically.

We’re organizing this initiative with support from media industry groups, several of which have already signed on to support the effort. This idea is initially being developed by Jennifer Brandel, co-founder and CEO of Hearken and lead strategist on Election SOS and Democracy SOSStefanie Murray, director of the Center for Cooperative MediaBridget Thoreson, member collaborations editor at INN; and me, Rachel Glickhouse, learning and labs director at News Revenue Hub. We’re hopeful that an organizational sponsor and funding to manage the project could help us jumpstart this effort.

We believe this effort will encourage more and better reporting on the anti-democratic threats we face. And we hope our actions will serve our country and help protect the rights we hold dear — before it’s too late.

Click here to learn more about how to participate.

📺 WATCH PREVIOUS DEMOCRACY DAY WEBINARS

August 2024: This U.S. Democracy Day virtual workshop features Kyle Spencer, author of “Raising Them Right: The Untold Story of America’s Ultra-Right Youth Movement and Its Plot for Power.” In this session, Spencer shares valuable insights on how local journalists can effectively cover far-right groups in their communities with nuance and gravitas. She discusses strategies for identifying extremist groups, understanding their tactics, and reporting on them responsibly.

Watch the full recording here.

July 2024: Co-produced by Grist and Democracy Day, this panel will provide local reporters with answers to some pretty big questions: What are the major climate issues that could be affected by the 2024 election? How do I determine their impacts on my community? And, crucially, how can I report on these topics without sending everyone into a doom spiral?

Watch the full recording here.

May 2024: The 2024 presidential election presents both unprecedented challenges and opportunities for journalists covering it. In this interactive webinar, we will delve into strategies for incorporating equity into election and democracy coverage, showcasing successful examples from the field. This 90-minute session promises extensive audience engagement, ensuring that attendees leave with a solid grasp of how to prioritize equity in their campaign reporting.

Watch the full recording here.

Feb. 2024: The webinar was led by Chris Baxter and Joanna Zuckerman-Bernstein from Spotlight PA, who provided an overview of the organization’s mission and revenue generation approach. They emphasized the importance of aligning editorial content with fundraising efforts and shared insights into their fundraising success. The multi-channel membership revenue strategy involves setting annual and monthly revenue targets, tracking progress weekly, and making real-time adjustments to ensure goals are met.

Watch the recording here.

Read the latest:

How to create an FAQ about your reporting

By Joy Mayer, Executive Director of Trusting News

Get on the record about how you cover democracy

By Joy Mayer, Executive Director of Trusting News

QUESTIONS? NEED MORE INFO? GET IN TOUCH!

💝  Email us for more info about how to financially support Democracy Day.

The Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University is providing infrastructure support for this iteration of Democracy Day, so you can contact us at [email protected].

Still have questions? Contact the Center for Cooperative Media directly by sending an email to [email protected].

WHO IS FUNDING THIS PROJECT?

The Democracy Day project is supported by Democracy Fund and Hearken and sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.