Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel addressed the National Press Foundation’s Election Journalism Fellowship in Detroit this week, focusing on securing an election in an age of disinformation.
She underscored her Department’s dedication to election integrity and the collaboration needed between public officials and journalists to ensure accurate, timely, and insightful information to Michigan voters.
Nessel highlighted various strategies and measures implemented to protect public safety and combat misinformation. Her Department aims to ensure the proper processing and delivery of mail-in ballots, safeguard the physical safety of voters and election workers, prosecute election fraud, address threats to public officials, and eliminate misinformation from social media platforms.
Nessel referenced the 2020 criminal charges against two political operatives who orchestrated a series of robocalls aimed at suppressing votes. The Michigan Supreme Court recently upheld a state statute that prohibits false speech made in an attempt to deter or influence a vote.
In her speech, Nessel emphasized the essential role of a free press, noting many of these cases take years to resolve. She urged journalists to continue their vital work in providing the public with accurate and comprehensive information, which is critical to maintaining trust and engagement in the democratic process.
“You might have heard it said, especially during election season, that your vote is the key which unlocks your access to every other right. And it’s true. We can’t have environmental protections or smooth roads or anti-discrimination laws or any of it unless we elect likeminded representatives to implement those measures for us,” Nessel told journalists at the fellowship. “But if you zoom out just a bit further, an informed voter has to get their information from somewhere. How can you figure out a person’s values, check their voting record, compare their background with that of other candidates – if no one is reporting on it? You can’t. And without the agency to do any research on the election, what is the point of voting at all?
The National Press Foundation selected 34 journalists to attend the 2024 Elections Journalism Fellowship in an effort to deeply explore covering elections. The fellowship concluded Tuesday.
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