The News Media’s Role on Election Night

News outlets have long competed to get the first, right call in declaring the results of our nation’s major elections. Next month, candidates and voters will flip channels to see which network will say who will represent them in several key elected positions.

Improved data analytics has increased the accuracy of these election-night calls, but the behind-the-scenes work of a decision desk is far more complex and interesting than crunching numbers through an equation.

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy will host a live event to shed light on the mechanics and nuance of network election calls. “The Media’s Role on Election Night” will happen Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m. in Langford Auditorium. It will examine how these calls are made and how this unofficial system grew into the role it plays today.