Simon Ateba on Election Coverage: Reject Financial and Political Influence, Embrace Independence, and Stay True to Honest Reporting

SIMON ATEBA

When it comes to covering an election, you must resist, resent, and reject any financial influence, any manipulative influence, and any left-wing or right-wing extremism. You must also resist anyone who tries to make you a praise singer or partisan hack. Covering an election is different from covering the presidency. When covering the presidency, you deal with powerful people on one side and the general public on the other. While you must be factual and accurate about government policies and pronouncements, your loyalty should lean more toward the people, not toward those in power who have the capacity to send others to war and get them killed based on lies.

You must resist and resent anyone who attacks you not based on the substance of what you post but on their political leanings and childish emotions carried into adulthood. If someone attacks you personally because they don't like a post, a poll, or a stat, you must resent them and, if necessary, block them.

One of the most important things to remember is never to play a role. For instance, if you share a post and tens of thousands of people like it, you might start believing you're great because of the popularity of your posts. Before long, you may begin to live to please your audience, sharing only what they would like, and doing what they want you to do. When this happens, you lose your honesty and objectivity, fearing that if you present the facts as they are—whether good or bad for their candidates—they might attack you or even unfollow you. You must resist and deeply resent this, and anyone who tries to turn you into that person.

Early on, you must win your independence, be as honest as possible, and post what you believe is right without fear of being insulted or attacked. If someone becomes overly controlling in trying to dictate your actions, you must block them immediately.

Your loyalty is not to any person, group, or job, as these can abandon you tomorrow. Your loyalty is to your life's task, to yourself, and to what is right. As a journalist, you must be fair to all people and candidates, treating them as you would want to be treated. Just because everyone is calling someone a racist, a bigot, a dictator, a DEI, or a whore does not mean those labels are true or that you should adopt such language. You must remain honest and fair to all.