Today's trust tip: Demystify the electoral process (and how the media fits in)

Hi there. Lynn here — a day early with this week's edition. 

The results of the presidential election are in, but the country is certainly not in agreement about whether those results are valid. Your work exists in a media climate that is also full of false claims of voter fraud, misinformation and disinformation. So what can you do to be seen as a source of credible information? 

At Trusting News we watched as journalists around the country were patient, measured and transparent as they shared election results and race outcomes last week and into the weekend. We were also impressed to see so many journalists working hard to stop false narratives and inaccurate information from gaining steam on their platforms.

We are grateful and proud of the coverage we have seen, and you should be too. But, while we should take a moment to breathe, we can't stop here. The next weeks are going to be just as important for transparency, explanations and defending facts. Here are some tips to help you be a voice of reason during chaotic times. 

1. Explain where we are in the process. We have a projected winner, but that isn't the last step. Explain how the electrical college works and the key upcoming dates in the process. The Associated Press has a good explainer you could link to or share. Or consider writing your own. Do a story on-air or create graphics highlighting the next steps. Sharing these facts can help people understand the process and not get sucked into false narratives.
2. Talk about journalists' role in calling elections. There have been lots of comments about how "the media" is stealing the election by predicting a winner. Refute these claims by explaining how news organizations predict winners — and be sure to point out these predictions are not anything new. (The AP has been compiling vote totals since 1848.) Also, it may help to point out that all news organizations are in agreement. Coordinating any sort of mass agreement like that to deceive or "steal" an election would be impossible. Vox has a good explainer that goes into the process, and PolitiFact shared some great social cards explaining how it works.
3. Monitor for misinformation/disinformation, and try to respond. This may seem like a full-time job right now, but we have to try to refute false claims shared on our platforms whenever possible. While responding one-on-one may be hard, at least try to refute or delete false claims made publicly. This prevents them from gaining traction. Examples: WUSA explained that taxpayers don't pay for Trump's lawsuits, and MSNBC and USA TODAY explained their approaches to the president's election night speech.
4. Explain how you'll cover challenges and lawsuits. As President Trump challenges the validity of the results, how will you cover the news of those challenges without amplifying false claims? As a news organization, have a consistent approach and explain it to your audience. Here's how the nonprofit Ballotpedia explains it. Maybe you dedicate a story on your political page to the latest information on the lawsuits and update one story. It will probably be hard and confusing for users to keep up with all of the details, so create an easy way for them to get the facts on what is happening. Also, bring in outside experts to explain how all of it works. 
5. Talk about where your national information comes from. Since a lot of this is happening at a national level, local news organization are most likely relying on wire coverage or reporting from corporate news teams. If that's your situation, explain it to your users. The ABC affiliate in San Diego had a great note explaining their relationship to the AP and the use of their content at the top of this story.

Trusting News aims to demystify trust in news and empower journalists to take responsibility for actively demonstrating credibility and earning trust. It is a project of the Reynolds Journalism Institute and the American Press Institute.