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Watchdogs, Gatekeepers, or Referees?

The Media's Role in Democratic Elections

As the 2024 election season approaches, we face an onslaught of information, misinformation, and disinformation about candidates, issues, and the election process itself.

What impact, if any, do the media have on U.S. elections? How can we strive to educate ourselves and others with the best information to make informed choices? At this panel session, the authors of the recent article “Prebunking Election Fraud: Strategies to Confront Conspiracy Theories” (in Social Education) will provide a brief primer of the different roles the media plays in politics and how citizens can untangle information from various media sources and put it into context.

Host/Emcee

Daniel G. Krutka is an Associate Professor of Social Studies Education in the Department of Teacher Education and Administration at the University of North Texas. A former high school social studies teacher, his research interests concern intersections of technology, education, and democracy.

Panelists 

Christopher H. Clark as an Associate Professor in the Department of Teaching, Leadership, and Professional Practice at the University of North Dakota. His research focuses on how students and teachers think about politics, controversial issues, and media.

Mardi Schmeichel is Associate Professor of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  Her research focuses on how social studies teachers think about incorporating political news and topics in their classrooms.

H. James Garrett is a professor of social studies education in the Mary Frances Early College of Education at the University of Georgia. He studies the emotional demands of learning and teaching about the social world, particularly in times of intense conflict and upheaval.

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