Free resources and know-how to enhance your coverage of the 2026 midterm elections are available by viewing the recording of SPJ’s recent webinar, designed especially for rural and smaller media. Veteran reporters and elections experts provide what you ill need to report on upcoming state, county and local contests. The event was presented live Oct. 6 by the Valley of the Sun chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
The approximately one-hour recording is available for viewing FREE on our chapter’s YouTube channel. Click here to view the recording. We’ve also provided below a list of free journalists’ resources the panel offered during the session.
Sasha Hupka, a reporter for Votebeat and chapter treasurer, moderated a panel of election experts and veteran journalists who will offer tips and resources specifically tailored to smaller newsrooms. These panelists offered their advice:
- Bill Gates, director, Mechanics of Democracy Laboratory at Arizona State University’s School of Public Affairs, Phoenix
- Patty Hansen, former Coconino County recorder, Flagstaff
- Joseph Jaafari, founder and editor-in-chief, LOOKOUT, Phoenix
- Jerod MacDonald-Evoy, reporter, Arizona Mirror, Phoenix
- Becky Pallack, co-founder, Arizona Luminaria, Tucson
- Camryn Sanchez, senior field correspondent, KJZZ-FM, Phoenix
During the webinar, panelists provided links to these great free resources for journalists to help them better cover elections:
- Votebeat’s Election Expert Desk resources: electionexpertdesk.org
- Reporters’ Committee for the Freedom of the Press: https://www.rcfp.org/resources/
- Freedom of the Press Foundation: https://freedom.press/digisec/guides/
- IWMF also has great resources and training for journalists’ safety: https://www.iwmf.org/safety/
- An example of why we should always check candidates’ backgrounds: https://azluminaria.org/2025/06/17/jimmy-rodriguez-is-running-for-congress-hes-also-on-federal-probation/
- An example of when a candidate doesn’t seem to have a background… that can also be a story: https://azluminaria.org/2024/10/25/a-mysterious-candidate-a-wild-west-primary-and-a-battleground-district/
- Archive.is and Wayback machine are also great resources for backgrounding candidates and changes to their websites.
- AI Elections Clinic: https://aiandelections.substack.com/
- From SciLine: A guide for journalists about evidence-based elections coverage: https://www.sciline.org/resource-list/covering-midterm-elections-2026/
Again, here is the link to the recording of the event. Questions? Email phxspj@gmail.com.
