A Moment of Change: Challenges and Opportunities When Covering Hate Speech and Mis/Disinformation

By Aashka Dave, Claudia Chen, and Ethan Zuckerman Since the 2016 U.S. presidential election, news coverage of hate speech and mis/disinformation has skyrocketed. What was once a sleepy beat led by freelancers and activists has become a central topic of coverage for almost every news organization. As the news cycle is transformed by coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and coverage of the 2020 presidential election ramps up, this beat is again at a critical juncture. […]