AP expands election coverage to include a democracy news editor; its big vote-fraud probe remains available to weeklies

The Associated Press announced Wednesday what it calls "a significant expansion of AP’s approach to politics, democracy and elections coverage," which will "include everything from elections and campaigns to threats to democracy, voter attitudes, misinformation, how elections are administered and the impact of new voting laws. Crucially, this team will connect its reporting to people across the country, particularly to historically marginalized communities who face new hurdles to the American right to vote – and have their votes be counted. This is a new approach for AP, but one that amplifies the AP’s long-standing commitment to fact-based reporting on elections, politics and public opinion. That remains the core of our mission."

The plan includes two new posts, a national political reporter and a an editor with a title not seen before: "The democracy news editor will lead our coverage of the mechanics of the American democracy and the challenges it faces, including voting rights and access, election administration, misinformation and much more. This editor will work with beat reporters in Washington and across the U.S. to identify legislation, court cases, election misinformation and political influence that impacts election outcomes." They will answer to Steven Sloan, the new deputy Washington bureau chief for politics and elections.

If you're at a weekly newspaper that doesn't subscribe to AP, why should you care? Because AP sets the standard for evenhanded, accurate coverage, and that's all the more important at a time when millions of Americans have lost faith in the news media and the electoral system. Also, AP has shown a willingness to help non-subscribers who want to provide coverage that gives necessary facts. In December, at the request of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, publisher of The Rural Blog, it made available to non-subscribing weekly newspapers its comprehensive investigation that debunked claims of widespread vote fraud in the six states that decided the 2020 presidential election. With millions of Americans still believing "the big lie" about that election, the story is still highly relevant.