NLGJA 2026 National Convention

As we head into a high-stakes midterm election season, community journalists are bridging the gaps across ideological, geographical, and cultural divides for voters nationwide. This comes as the national discourse remains polarized more than ever before. This session brings together a group who are not just seeing America's divisions in their nuanced, ground-level reporting, but working to comprehend, document and advance understanding of them ahead of and during the 2026 election. This panel will discuss how to thoughtfully cover elections through a cultural lens. Each panelist also brings a unique perspective shaped by the challenges and resilience of the communities they cover.