• Commentary
  • Research
  • Experts
  • Events
Carnegie China logoCarnegie lettermark logo
{
  "authors": [
    "Rachel Kleinfeld",
    "Amanda Ripley"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "democracy",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "DCG",
  "programs": [
    "Democracy, Conflict, and Governance"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Democracy",
    "Civil Society"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

How to Cover Electoral Conflict

The United States is different from other countries in many ways. But polarized people tend to be have similarly, all over the world. And in this context, the usual traditions of journalism will not work—and can do enormous harm

Link Copied
By Rachel Kleinfeld and Amanda Ripley
Published on Oct 8, 2020

Source: Election SOS

The 2020 election feels unprecedented in the United States. Nearly three out of four Americans are worried there will be widespread violence in response to the results, according to More in Common. Protests, racial discord and the pandemic have aggravated anxiety and suspicion in a nation already under strain

But journalists have covered elections similar to this, all over the world, for many years. They’ve agonized over their mistakes and learned from their best coverage. They’ve created playbooks for covering contested elections in frayed societies.

Read the Full Text

This article was originally published by Election SOS.

About the Authors

Rachel Kleinfeld

Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Rachel Kleinfeld is a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, where she focuses on issues of rule of law, security, and governance in democracies experiencing polarization, violence, and other governance problems.

Amanda Ripley

Authors

Rachel Kleinfeld
Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program
Rachel Kleinfeld
Amanda Ripley
Political ReformDemocracyCivil SocietyNorth AmericaUnited States

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie China

  • Commentary
    When It Comes to Superpower Geopolitics, Malaysia Is Staunchly Nonpartisan

    For Malaysia, the conjunction that works is “and” not “or” when it comes to the United States and China.

      Elina Noor

  • Commentary
    Today’s Rare Earths Conflict Echoes the 1973 Oil Crisis — But It’s Not the Same

    Regulation, not embargo, allows Beijing to shape how other countries and firms adapt to its terms.

      Alvin Camba

  • Trump and Xi on a red background
    Commentary
    Emissary
    China Is Determined to Hold Firm Against Trump’s Pressure

    Beijing believes that Washington is overestimating its own leverage and its ability to handle the trade war’s impacts. 

      • Sheena Chestnut Greitens

      Rick Waters, Sheena Chestnut Greitens

  • Commentary
    A Second Trump Term: Will Southeast Asia Tilt Toward China?

    Tapping our network of China experts in the region, Carnegie China offers this latest “China Through a Southeast Asian Lens” report to offer preliminary assessments of whether the U.S. effort to reshape the global trading order will lead countries in the region to tilt toward Beijing. 

      • +6

      Selina Ho, Khin Khin Kyaw Kyee, Joseph Ching Velasco, …

  • Commentary
    Is China Willing to Influence Russia on the Ukraine War?

    Beijing is trying to navigate the overall situation regarding Ukraine, especially the substance of interactions between Washington and Moscow.

      • Ellen Nakashima
      • Zhao Long
      • +1

      Ellen Nakashima, Zhao Long, Pavlo Klimkin, …

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie China
Carnegie China logo, white
Keck Seng Tower133 Cecil Street #10-01ASingapore, 069535Phone: +65 9650 7648
  • Research
  • About
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie China
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.