CNN’s biggest broadcast of 2020 is underway. “It’s Election Night in America,” Wolf Blitzer said, “and a nation in crisis is at a crossroads.” When the special coverage will end, nobody knows. Anchors and reporters have been communicating all of the uncertainty that comes with a high turnout election and a huge increase in mail-in balloting.
More than anything else, this is an Election Night that needs transparency. “What is critical is a transparency with the audience — letting viewers know this is what we know and how we know it, but that this is information right now and could change,” CBS News president Susan Zirinsky said on Tuesday. “It’s like being at a baseball game: You’re in the 3rd inning, they give you the score, but you know there are other dynamics that could change the game. We want to be careful, not timid.”
Will the press hit it out of the proverbial park?
In the coming hours and days, we may have answers to these questions:
My impression, as a reporter who covers the media industry every day, is that some journalists feel like they are limping to the finish line. They are exhausted and just want this year to be over. Others are feeling newly energized by the impending end of the election. In Slack channels and text message chains on Tuesday, motivational messages bounced back and forth: “Here we go.” “Good luck everyone.” “Don’t forget to eat.” “Stay hydrated.” And, more ominously, “stay safe.” There’s nothing left to say except: Let’s count the votes.
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