KRDO13’s editorial approach to covering the 2026 primary election

Truth, trust and transparency are the guiding principles the KRDO13 news team is prioritizing in our coverage of the 2026 midterm election.

As watchdogs for our community, we will focus on local, county and state races, while working in
tandem with our network partners to cover the balance of power in the United States Congress and
gubernatorial races.

Our Coverage Priorities

As an independent newsgathering organization, we have developed a list of six coverage priorities to
guide our political reporting. The list was derived from audience feedback and internal newsroom
discussion, and will take priority over orchestrated campaign events organized by individual campaigns.

Earning Trust Through Transparency

While it is impossible to plan for every potential coverage scenario, it is our intention is to explain our
overall editorial approach and priorities.

• To maintain continuity in our coverage, we will take a “beat” approach by assigning specific
  reporters to cover individual candidates and issues; this will allow our team of journalists to immerse
  themselves in the subject matter leading up to election day. While it may not always be possible to
  schedule with 100% consistency, we will do our best.

• In our TV and digital stories, we will clearly attribute sources of all data and documentation included in the report (and include hyperlinks when available).

• When we interview a candidate, or spokesperson for an issue, we will post the full, unedited video version of the interview, as well as a written transcription on our website and news app. If/when Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are used to transcribe lengthy interviews, we will disclose that fact in an Editor’s Note.

• If/when AI tools are used to assist our storytelling process, we will be transparent in disclosing how
  and why the tools were utilized, and confirm that all material was reviewed by a human editor prior
  to publication and/or broadcast.

• When covering multiple candidates running for the same race, we will attempt to fairly compare each by asking the same (or similar) questions and by allowing equal time for each response.

• If a candidate chooses not to answer a direct question from one of our reporters, we will make a
  respectful second attempt to ask the question again. If the candidate selects to not answer a
  second time, we may choose to not include his/her response in our edited story (the full interview
  will remain available online).

• If we choose to interview a political expert, it will be so the individual can help explain a complex issue without taking a political position. We will thoroughly vet the individual’s background and explain why the interview is important/relevant.

• When we stream or air a scheduled candidate speech, we will request a hard copy in advance and,
  when provided, post it with the archived video of the speech.

We will also publish an online Voter’s Guide to help you do your own research on the candidates and
issues that will be on November’s ballot. The Voter’s Guide will include widgets to partner resources
that allow you to register to vote/check your registration status, and see what is on your ballot.

Tracking polls (aka “horse race” polls) may be included as a springboard into an in-depth report or to
add context within a story. Here are links to the polls we will be monitoring, including those used by the
broadcast networks.

• CBS News YouGov Polls
• CNN Polling
• Emerson College
• Fox News Polls (Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R))
• Kaiser Family Foundation
• Harvard Harris Poll
• NBC News Public Opinion Strategies
• Pew Research Center
• Quinnipiac University
• Rasmussen Reports
• Real Clear Politics

Producing Accurate & Unbiased Coverage

According to the  American Psychological Association, implicit bias “is a negative attitude, of which one is not consciously aware, against a specific social group. Implicit bias is thought to be shaped by experience and based on learned associations between particular qualities and social categories, including race and/or gender. Individuals’ perceptions and behaviors can be influenced by the implicit biases they hold, even if they are unaware they hold such biases.”

Awareness and knowledge of the potential for implicit bias are our best defenses against it influencing our reporting. We have already adopted the following best practices from the Center for Racial Justice Innovation into our companywide editorial guidelines, and will apply them to our political coverage:

• Avoid stereotypes
• Use a multiracial lens, and consider all communities of color.
• Focus on actions and impacts, rather than attitudes and intentions.
• Ensure headlines, images, captions, and graphics are fair and responsible in their depiction of
  people (of color), and coverage of the issues

According to the  American Psychological Association, implicit bias “is a negative attitude, of which one is not consciously aware, against a specific social group. Implicit bias is thought to be shaped by experience and based on learned associations between particular qualities and social categories, including race and/or gender. Individuals’ perceptions and behaviors can be influenced by the implicit biases they hold, even if they are unaware they hold such biases.”

Awareness and knowledge of the potential for implicit bias are our best defenses against it influencing our reporting. We have already adopted the following best practices from the Center for Racial Justice Innovation into our companywide editorial guidelines, and will apply them to our political coverage:

• Avoid stereotypes
• Use a multiracial lens, and consider all communities of color.
• Focus on actions and impacts, rather than attitudes and intentions.
• Ensure headlines, images, captions, and graphics are fair and responsible in their depiction of
  people (of color), and coverage of the issues

We will also assign reporters to fact-check statements made by candidates during campaign appearances and in advertising messages paid for by individual campaigns and/or political action committees. Fact check reporting will include attribution to the sources used to confirm or contradict candidate statements, and we will also include information about who is paying for advertising messages.

Get Engaged and Informed by Checking Our Online Voter’s Guide

To track the stories that are most important to you, we invite you to create a user profile on our website
by clicking the bell icon at the bottom right of your screen. Here are the benefits of creating an account:

• A personalized profile allows you to create a site avatar and keep track of your personal engagement
  history.
• Personalized news feed allows you to follow your favorite authors and/or topics.
• Allows you to comment on articles and use the notification tray to let you know when another
  commenter has responded to a thread you’re following.
• Receive notifications when there is breaking news, severe weather, or a local event livestream.