FOR RELEASE: October 8, 2024

Contact: Richard T. Kaplar
The Media Institute
703-506-8030

Vienna, Va., October 8, 2024 – The Media Institute’s Madison Project has released a guide to help voters navigate the media landscape and the avalanche of information about political candidates, races, and the upcoming elections.

Election Year Guide to Media and Democracy: Media Literacy Made Easy for Voters is a non-partisan and non-political blueprint to help voters analyze the vast amounts of material presented by political campaigns, outside parties, commentators, and the media.  It does not endorse individual candidates, issues, or points of view.

The guide offers a five-step process to help voters assess the veracity of election-related information, and provides practical tips for spotting “deepfake” images and videos that have been manipulated to mislead viewers.

The guide also contains information on the voting process and the particulars of voting on candidates and non-candidate issues appearing on ballots.  It lists resources with links to help voters find information about polling places, election regulations, and deadlines in individual states.

“Free speech and free press are cornerstones of our democracy – and they play an especially critical role in the electoral process,” said Institute President Richard T. Kaplar.  “It is essential not only that voters receive adequate information, but that they have the media literacy tools to judge the quality of that information.  Our democracy may well be weakened if voting decisions are based on disinformation, deepfakes, and manipulated content.”

The Madison Project: Free Speech and Press in American Democracy is The Media Institute’s major initiative that offers distinctive insights into the impact of speech and press freedoms on our democracy today, and seeks to chart a course forward to maintain these essential freedoms as the bulwark of American democracy.

The Madison Project is underwritten by foundations, corporations, and others with an interest in media and communications, the First Amendment, and the preservation of American democracy.  Initial support has been provided by Verizon, LG Electronics, and Wiley Rein LLP.  For more information about underwriting opportunities, contact Richard T. Kaplar at kaplar@mediainstitute.org.

The Media Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation specializing in communications policy and the First Amendment.  Visit the Institute at www.mediainstitute.org.

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