The city of Philadelphia will soon enter a transition of power, as general election coverage is ramping up.
Democratic nominee, Cherelle Parker, and Republican nominee, David Oh, will face off for the position of Philadelphia mayor on Election Day.
A Thursday ONA panel on collaborative elections coverage in the city highlighted the need for more political engagement across diverse Philadelphia communities, specifically tied to the November general election.
Panel moderator Shawn Mooring, Head of Philadelphia Programs for The Lenfest Institute, said the Every Voice, Every Vote initiative is a key part in getting people engaged in the current political climate.
Data from the panelists found that Philadelphians, specifically minority groups, don’t feel the city is moving forward, which is what drove them all to collaborate on different types of coverage. They all reported issues related to the opioid crisis and gun violence, which prompted them to create a mobile friendly guide that aims to inform and engage these minority groups.
The initiative is a citywide coalition of more than 80 community groups and media organizations that believe Philadelphians from all communities are what drive civic engagement.
Ariella Cohen, Assistant Managing Editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, said this is a high stakes election cycle for Philadelphia. In addition to the mayoral election, six city council seats are up for election this November. Cohen said this is a great opportunity to strategize their political reporting.
“We were taking the political coverage outside of our political framework, and really democratizing it across our newsroom,” Cohen said.
Panelist Ashanti Martin, the general manager of WURD Radio, said the radio station is focused on providing their audience with accurate and balanced information. When talking about misinformation, Martin said callers help provide information on what’s happening within communities.
“One of the great things about talk radio is that we get to hear from our callers, you know about what they’re seeing and hearing in their communities, so we have the ability to hear from people who are being targeted,” Martin said. “That’s one thing that we have built a reputation for over the course of our 20 years, is making sure that we present accurate information and being able to correct the record in real time, so even sometimes if a caller calls in and they’re saying something that is off, that’s something that we do, often and very well.”
Willie Gonzalez, executive director of Ceiba, works to ensure the Latino community in Philadelphia is politically engaged.
Ceiba is a part of the Obey Voter Hotline, a nonpartisan comprehensive civic participation platform that aims to remove barriers by providing information about voting and address concerns people may have and report any problems.
Gonzalez said he is working to enhance voter literacy within the Latino community.
“We’re making a concerted effort to try to make sure that we increase the voter literacy of our community, especially our youth and then using arts for social change, bringing in music and other things to enhance the participation of people, because just telling folks to go to vote is not enough,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez ended his presentation by highlighting the need for increased participation across all diverse communities by ensuring minority groups understand the coverage put out by media platforms.
“Democracy is not a spectator sport,” Gonzalez said. “We want to increase engagement and we know that the media plays an important tool. We’re very blessed to have Every Voice Every Vote, helping us along with our efforts to encourage our community to come out and participate.”
