KPBS News: Politics, Democracy and Elections Policy

Mission

KPBS delivers independent, nonpartisan political coverage beyond polls and the election cycle. Our aim is to engage all voters — from experienced to first timers — online, on air and in person, especially people in marginalized communities. KPBS offers multiple perspectives and holds officials accountable, fostering informed, engaged communities that actively participate in shaping the future of our region.

Practice

What democracy, politics and government news does KPBS prioritize?

• Accurate, transparent, has context, delves deeper, builds trust
  
• Sheds light on threats to democracy, holds elected officials and interest groups accountable, and explains the democratic process
  
• Includes multiple perspectives, reflects the distinct voices of community members
  
• Has a high impact on communities and helps people make informed decisions
  
• Inspires participation and engagement that broadens KPBS' diversity of voices
  
• Spotlights policymaking's role in achieving equity by analyzing impacts on communities — particularly marginalized groups
  
• Because we focus on accurate coverage, we will investigate and report on egregious instances of misinformation or disinformation

What type of coverage does KPBS avoid or discuss at length prior to covering?

• Biased, without context or where facts and information are not verified
• Perpetuates unsupported or false claims that may promote misinformation
• Feeds stereotypes or shuts out marginalized voices
• Overemphasizes polls

How does KPBS ensure that its coverage is nonpartisan and fair?

• KPBS follows the Public Media Code of Integrity and the NPR Ethics Guidelines on all platforms — digital, radio, social media and TV. KPBS also follows PBS Editorial Standards of independence, inclusiveness, accuracy, fairness, transparency and accountability
• By applying objective reporting methods to gather, review and verify information, and by including context, data and diverse perspectives

Why doesn’t KPBS make endorsements?

• KPBS follows PBS standards which include abiding to section 399 of the Communications Act and following PBS membership requirements which prohibits public television stations from supporting or opposing any candidate for political office
• Additionally, KPBS is governed by rules set for section 501(c)(3) organizations that prohibit political endorsements

What sources of information does KPBS prioritize as credible when evaluating a candidate or issue?

• We prioritize primary sources: direct or first hand sources that are transparent, that are original and don’t come from a secondary source, and can be verified — where information can be confirmed from more than one original source.

How does KPBS decide what races, candidates and measures to cover?

• KPBS prioritizes coverage of candidates and measures that
  
  • Qualify for the ballot
  • Maintain a website or social media page setting forth their views
  • Have raised some funding (this amount will depend on the level of office)

• KPBS News resources, such as available reporters or producers, are not unlimited and that may also factor into which races we cover. If a race has a lot of candidates who reach these three thresholds, we can apply stricter criteria, as long as we do it for the entirety of the field of candidates, and for the duration of the campaign. Stricter criteria may include a poll or polls, with a 5% threshold.

  If the field still has too many candidates for viable coverage, we may need to restrict the overall number of candidates we cover to just a few that are leading in polls, have community support and have raised funds.

How does KPBS abide by the "equal time rule"?

• Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules seek to ensure that no legally qualified candidate for office is unfairly given less access to the broadcast airwaves than their opponent. Section 315 of the Communications Act exempts certain news programs from the requirement, including bona fide newscasts, regularly scheduled interviews, incidental candidate appearances in news documentaries, and on-the-spot coverage of news events from the "equal-time rule." “Bona fide” refers to programs based on good faith journalistic judgment, ensuring candidate appearances are not controlled by the candidate or intended to aid the candidate. KPBS is generally exempt from this rule.

What about the "fairness doctrine"?

• The "equal time rule" ensures fair opportunities for candidates, while the "fairness doctrine" aims for balanced coverage on controversial topics by requiring contrasting viewpoints. The FCC abolished the fairness doctrine in 1987, ending its regulation of broadcasting practices in the U.S.

What other news services and organizations also create content featured on the Voter Hub?

• The California Newsroom, which is a collaboration of California public media newsrooms, including KPBS, KQED in San Francisco, LAist in Los Angeles, CapRadio and CalMatters in Sacramento, KCRW in Santa Monica and others around the state.
• inewsource
• NPR
• PBS Newshour
• BallotReady

How are election results called by KPBS?

• KPBS relies on the Associated Press and NPR for federal and state races. 
• For municipal races, KPBS considers them on a case by case basis and looks at the number of registered voters in a district, projected turnout and votes needed to change the results.

Why doesn't the Voter Hub have comprehensive explainers for every single race, measure or proposition on the ballot?

• KPBS prioritizes comprehensive explainers with the widest impact on voters based on newsroom resources, such as reporters available to produce the content. KPBS' ballot guide includes information for every race, measure and proposition.

Is KPBS "state media"?

• KPBS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We receive federal funding distributed through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting appropriation as outlined in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. Only 12% of KPBS’ annual budget is from federal funds. However, this appropriation does not include government oversight or influence of editorial and programming decisions. KPBS’ television license is held by the California State University Board of Trustees. Our FM license is held by San Diego State University. There is an "editorial firewall" between our newsroom and our licensees.That means KPBS' licensees do not influence the station's editorial decisions. 

What's next?

This section will be updated as the needs of our communities evolve.