How KUER is covering the 2024 election
KUER’s 2024 election coverage is focused on empowering everyone to take part in the political process, paying particular attention to early-career adults. Utah is the youngest state in the nation, with 25 to 34-year-olds making up 15.6% of adults. They face unique economic, environmental and cultural issues as Utah experiences booming growth and navigates its path forward.
We’ll get down to the nuts and bolts of how the state prepares to count your vote and make sure you have the tools to take part. We’ll talk to 25-34-year-old parents and professionals to help everyone understand how political decisions impact their lives. KUER understands that this group is not a monolith, and we’ll elevate young voices from across the political and economic spectrum, across Utah’s urban and rural areas, and from the state’s various cultural communities. We’ll hold incumbents accountable for the policies they’ve created and explain what ideas challengers bring to the table. We’ll ask important questions about who the candidates are and who influences their approach to public office.
We invite all voters to be part of our 2024 election coverage by asking questions we’ll strive to answer to ensure everyone is ready to fill out their ballot.
Our work is based on best practices of trustworthy, ethical journalism. It’s driven by our public service mission: KUER enhances the lives of its audience with a blend of news, information and entertainment in an unbiased, non-commercial context and creates an ongoing source of service and support vital to community organizations. Sound journalism is important to us, because we are part of this community, too.
FAQ
Who covers politics for KUER and how can someone get in touch with the editorial team?
KUER’s politics team comprises Saige Miller and Sean Higgins. Throughout the 2024 election cycle, they will be supported by David Condos in our Southern Utah bureau, Tilda Wilson in our Central Utah bureau and education reporter Martha Harris. The editorial team is Elaine Clark, Caroline Ballard, Jim Hill and Brian Larson. You can reach any of the team individually — or hit us all at once by emailing news@kuer.org. We’ll also partner with our sister station PBS Utah to create coverage that serves Utah voters. Have questions about the election, particular races or particular candidates you’d like us to answer? Share them with us here.
How does KUER decide which races to cover?
With a small staff, KUER prioritizes races that affect the largest number of voters. In the 2024 election cycle, that includes the races for the U.S. Senate and all four congressional districts. At the state level, we’ll report on the race for governor and for attorney general. The decisions in key legislative races and any local races will be guided by how competitive the race is and how big of an impact the outcome will bring.
How does KUER decide which candidates to cover?
With limited reporting resources, it is standard journalism practice to be guided by candidate viability standards for inclusion in coverage. This allows for in-depth reporting on a wide variety of issues with a focus on the candidates most engaged with the electorate. For example, the Utah Debate Commission sets a threshold for its debates of “10%, minus the margin of error” in polls it commissions. In the absence of public polling, it is accepted practice to use the number of donors as the metric by which these thresholds are set.
KUER sets its donor threshold at 10% of the total number of contributions for all candidates in the race. They must also have a public policy platform readily accessible to the electorate.
What are KUER’s ethics policies for its reporters and staff?
The trust KUER cultivates with the public is at the heart of our success. The editorial and administrative staff takes seriously their democratic role as watchdogs while practicing the principles of integrity, independence, accuracy, context, transparency and fairness for the people KUER serves and covers. KUER also believes that truth is not possible without voices that reflect the experiences of people and communities across the state.
While editorially independent, KUER’s license is held by the University of Utah, and the staff follow university policies and legal standards. Staff members also abide by the policies of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Further, KUER employees adhere to the station’s internal Standards of Integrity.
What sources does KUER draw on to cover candidates?
KUER draws from a wide variety of sources to paint the fullest picture possible of candidates. We rely on public election data and the candidates’ records to fill in gaps in the candidates’ own narratives. We fact check what they tell us and are transparent about the sources we use for that work. We rely on interviews with Utah political observers and topic experts to understand the impact of policy choices. We also talk to voters in the 25-34 age group to understand their priorities this election cycle. In that way, we’re reporting not just on the candidates, but also reflecting young constituent voices to the candidates.
What other types of election and democracy issues will KUER cover?
The political choices voters make have real consequences in the world. That means comprehensive reporting is more than covering the candidates. KUER will cover the election process for voters by helping them understand how to vote and what their vote means. We’ll ask how the process is working for young voters around the state. We’ll also explore how the top issues impact the lives of young voters by listening to their concerns, answering their questions and sharing their experiences.
What kind of news products will KUER create for the 2024 election?
KUER produces sound-rich audio storytelling delivered on-air and online. This includes short and long form pieces in morning and afternoon news magazines and via our politics podcast State Street. We also create written digital coverage for KUER.org and a variety of social media platforms. Our 2024 election coverage will include voter and candidate profiles focused on key issues in the races, voter guides, “how-to’s” on voting and becoming involved in the election process, and journalism that illustrates the human faces of those most affected by the decisions our elected officials make. We will also rely on public events, other community engagement and questions from you to make sure we’re creating stories with the biggest impact.