Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel addressed the National Press Foundation’s Election Journalism Fellowship in Detroit today, focusing on securing elections 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 for 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. The Attorney General has also prosecuted several threats against public servants, including the Governor, state representatives, and members of the judicial system. Additionally, she filed a lawsuit against the federal government over unlawful changes to the U.S. Postal Service’s operations that could have impacted the 2020 presidential election.
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 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 like-minded 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?
“Civic engagement is a hollow consolation prize when there’s nothing to engage with,” Nessel continued. “That’s why I’m honored to be participating in this dialogue with you all today: To lay a foundation so that we as public officials and you as journalists can work together in the upcoming election season to provide accurate, timely, and insightful coverage for voters across the country.”
The National Press Foundation selected 34 journalists for its 2024 Elections Journalism Fellowship in an effort to deeply explore covering elections. The fellowship will conclude July 30.
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