Everything You Need To Hit
The Campaign Trail

By ROCHELLE LEWIS LAVIN
Poynter.org News Editor

TO LISTEN TO THE PUNDITS, the November election can seem over even before the voting: the certainty with which they speak, the finality with which they dispatch one candidate or another based on the latest twist of fate or fortune. George W. Bush, apparently on the ropes during the McCain primary siege in some descriptions, now is described as "finding his stride" amid Gore's search for a new persona.

And therein lies the challenge to the journalist: how not to get caught up in the endless spin and forget that for the mass of Americans, the November presidential race is not yet even on their radar screen.

While it's natural for the journalism machines to start revving their engines early, the average citizen may not have their mind trained on the election until the last few weeks of the campaign.

As journalists, one of our major roles is to inform citizens so they are able to make intelligent decisions. Their decisions and our roles are tied to one other by the tradition of American journalism to help preserve democracy.

To that end, we've created a special section on Poynter.org to help journalists enrich their coverage, strengthen the relevance of their stories, and build partnerships within their communities. During the coming weeks, Campaign 2000 will include articles, tips, and resources from the third edition of Poynter's Election Handbook to help journalists improve their coverage online, in print and on the air. Updated weekly, the section will also address local, state and congressional races.

We'll talk about more than just the horserace. But speaking of horseraces, any journalist tempted to get too smug about the likely outcome should keep one famous headline in mind: DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN.

As always, we welcome your suggestions and submissions.

-- Special thanks to the co-editors of the Poynter Election Handbook, Deborah Potter and Pete Weitzel.

Deborah Potter is executive director of NewsLab, a non-profit television news laboratory that works with local stations to develop new ways of telling complex or non-visual stories. Deborah spent 16 years as a network correspondent for CBS News and CNN, where she covered the White House, State Department, Congress, national politics, and the environment. From 1995 to 1998, she taught journalism at The Poynter Institute and also hosted the PBS program In the Prime.

Pete Weitzel is a former managing editor of the Miami Herald and visiting professional at Poynter. He's now a newspaper consultant and lives in Durham, NC.

Online Resources

Newsrooms that have access to commercial database services or the Internet can find many of the sources they need online.

Here is a sampling of some sites offering updated information that is helpful in politics coverage. You will find a longer list in the online resources area of the site.

Checking Basic Election Information

• California Voter Foundation has information on the state’s election laws, a "Voter Resources" page that links to other sites, information on the 1998 California election, and Initiative Watch 2000.

• CapWeb’s guide to Congress has scheduling and contact information.

• The Democratic National Committee has links to state parties and information on party conventions.

• Elections USA, a site that tracks campaigns and elections state by state, also offers a long list of links.

• League of Women Voters. The national league’s Website has information on issues they follow, plus a site called "Power the Vote" that includes useful gender gap data. There are also links to state and local LWV websites. Those will often have detailed issue and candidate background information during election periods.

• Congressional Quarterly and its affiliated publications, especially Campaigns and Elections magazine. CQ's basic business is Congress, but it provides detailed coverage of issues and politics as well. The Campaigns and Elections site includes a directory of politics-related sites on the web, and other useful resources. Congressional Quarterly is an affiliate of the St. Petersburg Times Co., which is owned by the Poynter Institute. $ with some free info on the web.

• The National Conference of State Legislatures offers links to all state legislative sites.

• Project Vote Smart offers a wide range of useful information. On the home page are links to state government information, including election laws and a "Golden Rolodex" of election coverage resources.

• Republican National Committee has links to state parties and information on party conventions.

• Roll Call, the newspaper devoted to covering Congress, has a guide to Congress, with report cards on members and information on races, plus policy briefings.

• Smart Voter is a partnership in California that developed a custom ballot system. Voters can plug in zip codes and get information about races in which they can vote.