LPM has been named as one of 12 news organizations and nonpartisan election integrity groups that will present at Democracy Demo Day, a forum to share initiatives for how to bolster democracy and make news and information more secure and accessible through the 2024 elections.
Democracy Demo Day will take place on Wednesday, May 1 at Microsoft’s offices in New York City. The gathering — which will include nonpartisan news and information providers, technology companies, and philanthropic funders — will explore actionable initiatives for how best support local election officials and processes to grow confidence in election results, spur voter participation, limit the effects of mis-and-disinformation, and move away from “horse race” coverage.
“At LPM we believe in the power of civic information and engagement to strengthen democracy. An essential part of our mission is to provide this service to everyone in our community, regardless of their political beliefs. We're honored to be selected to participate in Democracy Demo Day and have the opportunity to learn from others around the nation working toward this mission,” said LPM Vice President of Content Gabrielle Jones.
AP and The Lenfest Institute received more than 90 proposals for projects already underway or new concepts or initiatives that can launch in time for the 2024 election season. The 10 selected projects are:
"Kentucky Votes: Bridging Communities, Amplifying Perspectives," Louisville Public Media – Addressing the digital divide by producing mailed voter guides with profiles of local grassroots community leaders.
“Clear Voices, Strong Democracy: Training Election Officials for Effective Communication in 2024,” Bipartisan Policy Center – Training to improve election officials' public communication skills by equipping them with crisis communications skills for today’s information environment.
“The Black Political Power Tour,” Capital B – Nationwide reporting at the community level to help amplify Black voices in battleground states, educate voters on the issues most important to them and provide resources so that Black voters can safely and confidently perform their civic duty.
“Engaging voters of color in community media,” The Center for Community Media at CUNY’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism – Creating a funding, training, and mentorship cohort of community media organizations working to engage voters of color in Georgia, Michigan, and Texas.
“Get to know your judges – Cleveland and Cuyahoga County,” The Marshall Project – A community-informed resource that provides residents of Cleveland and the surrounding region with profiles of judges and judicial nominees on the 2024 ballot.
“Information Integrity Project,” Military Veterans in Journalism – Combatting extremism and disinformation in military and veteran communities through direct engagement and reporting on anti-democratic extremist groups and narratives.
“State-based channels to combat mis- and disinformation,” Pulso – Partnering with local content creators in Texas, Florida, and Arizona to launch state-based channels on Pulso's existing platforms and combat mis- and disinformation aimed at Latinos in their own voice and style.
“Protecting the First Amendment in the 2024 election cycle,” Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press – Training journalists and police departments on the Department of Justice's best practices on press rights at protests and providing journalists with credentials to protect the legal rights of journalists covering the 2024 elections.
“Dossiers for Democracy: Helping local newsrooms vet the 2024 candidates,” Sunlight Search and MuckRock – Bolstering the investigative reporting infrastructure of U.S. newsrooms through training and tools that will enable local news organizations to thoroughly investigate political candidates.
“Protecting certification in 2024,” Voting Rights Lab – Working to ensure confidence in the electoral process by collaborating with media and influencers in swing states to explain the complex procedures used to certify elections and how they leave little room for interference.
The Institute for Nonprofit News’ Rural News Network – Integrating election information into a text messaging service for rural audiences distributed through 78 INN member newsrooms across the country.
NewsGuard – Creating tools designed to detect and reduce misinformation risk in AI-based products.
Attendees of the invitation-only event will include funders, news organizations, journalism support organizations, technology companies, and others working to advance free and fair elections. Presenters will have the chance to share insights into their nonpartisan projects, answer questions, and engage in group discussions. Each presenting organization receives a $5,000 honorarium.
The event will spur serious thinking about steps to make U.S. election processes more effective and responsive and help presenters and attendees identify opportunities for support, collaboration and, potentially, funding.
Please reach out to rebecca@lenfestinstitute.org with any questions about the event.
