News Outlets Brace for Chaos on Election Night (and Perhaps Beyond)

The data nerd of NBC News, Steve Kornacki, is preparing to sleep at his desk in 30 Rockefeller Plaza — for days on end, if need be. CNN is adding to its bench of legal experts in case of disputed counts in swing states.

The Associated Press, whose election calls are widely amplified by major media outlets, has determined it needs to devote more people and other resources to explain its decisions to readers.

Election Day is the news industry’s biggest night, when voters rely on media outlets to declare state-by-state winners and keep score in the Electoral College.

But as presidential polls project a razor-thin finish that could take days to determine — and as baseless claims about voting fraud run rampant — news executives acknowledge that the onus is on them to help viewers understand the nuances of the vote-tallying process.

As a result, almost every major news organization is putting contingency plans in place to push back against a gale-force storm of misinformation and ensure that audiences trust their coverage. Their efforts will probably stretch far beyond Nov. 5, as absentee ballots are counted and close races potentially face legal reviews.

“We live in an environment where misinformation travels really fast, and we understand that the public is confused,” Julie Pace, the executive editor of The A.P., said in an interview. “There’s distrust in elections — there’s distrust in institutions in general.”