“Improving Trust in Local Political Coverage" - Dan Shelley lecture

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Dan Shelly left all audience members with five tangible takeaways as he discussed successful techniques to keep in mind when reporting for a presidential election.

Shelly, the president and CEO of Radio Television Digital News Association, spoke to a crowd of 50 people in the Willard Building on Oct. 16. Hosted by the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters, “Improving Trust in Local Political Coverage” focused on three main pillars to “rebuilding and maintaining trust with the public.”

“Do stories and ask questions of candidates about community topics. What the voters are interested in, not what’s on the politicians' agenda if the two differ,” is the first takeaway Shelly ended his presentation with.

He continued with: “Build a fact-checking system,” “Show your work and sources,” “Build balance accountability systems” and “substance over polls.”

Shelly and RTDNA compiled these takeaways through a survey they conducted from 2,000 individuals that mirror the American population in all demographics. Throughout the presentation, Shelly included statistics to further assert his credibility and video clips hearing from various individuals’ opinions.

“We asked, how much do you trust the news and information you get from local news sources in political coverage?” Shelly said. The result is 41%, of the group surveyed.

Heading into the 2024 election, crime & safety, the economy and healthcare are the top three news topics that respondents care the most about.

Shelly repeated the importance of the “T-word”, transparency, and how it applies to political coverage.

“You want to be balanced, not biased and you want to be transparent,” Shelly said.

When being unbiased and transparent, Shelly advised news reporters to localize political advances.

“They want to be able to see how the sausage is made,” Shelly said.

The respondents reported they value fact-checking throughout articles. Shelly added that with complicated topics, reporters need to find a way to make their audience care.

Shelly and RTDNA advocate for journalists across the country by training and networking journalists, recognizing excellent journalism through the Edward Murrow Awards and “advocacy for press freedom and not just for journalists' right, but for the public’s need to know what’s going on in their communities, their nation and the world.”

Natalie Simone is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email nvs5790@psu.edu.