The language we use to cover news events says a great deal about our editorial judgment. And the Associated Press’ handling of the long-shot recount efforts in Georgia and New Mexico says its judgment needs serious reconsideration.
In the Peach State, Democratic House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams is hoping against hope that her recount efforts will upend the results of the state’s gubernatorial election, taking away Republican Georgia Gov.-elect Brian Kemp’s victory. On Friday, the AP covered Abrams’ campaign to overturn the election results with a headline that reads: “Abrams prepares push for new Georgia Gov. vote.”
In New Mexico, Republican state Rep. Yvette Herrell is hoping against hope that her efforts to impound ballots will upend the results of the race in the state’s 2nd Congressional District, taking away Democrat Xochitl Torres Small’s narrow victory. Here’s how the AP characterized Herrell’s attempts to overturn the results of the House race: “Republican Refusing to Concede US House Race, Questions Vote.”
The AP’s Abrams story opens with the following paragraphs:
The Democrat’s longshot strategy relies on a statute that’s never been used in such a high-stakes contest. It is being discussed as Georgia elections officials appear to be on the cusp of certifying Republican Brian Kemp as the winner of a bitterly fought campaign that’s been marred by charges of electoral malfeasance.
The report also includes a line that reads, “Abrams would assert that enough irregularities occurred to raise the possibility that at least 18,000 Georgians either had their ballots thrown out or were not allowed to vote.” The only evidence of “irregularities” cited by the AP is “affidavits from poll workers … [who] describe long lines that discouraged people from voting, poll workers failing to offer provisional ballots to people who didn’t show up on the rolls or were at the wrong polling place and election equipment that froze and had to be rebooted.” The AP report makes no mention at all of the fact that Democratic officials spearheaded the efforts to consolidate polling locations, which created long lines and other unforeseen voter delays.
Now, compare all of this to the AP’s story on Herrell, which opens with these paragraphs:
In court documents filed in the 3rd Judicial District Court in southern New Mexico, Yvette Herrell asked a Dona Ana County judge to impound the absentee ballots so her campaign could inspect them.
Like Abrams, Herrell claims there are “documented complaints” of “voting irregularities” in her House race.
“She didn’t provide evidence. Her campaign has not returned repeated voicemails, text messages and emails from The AP,” the suddenly skeptical news organization reported, adding, “Herrell also complained about the untallied absentee ballots from Dona Ana County and suggested fraud was involved.”
The headline to the Abrams story has been updated so that it now reads, “Abrams preparing new challenge in Georgia race.” The headline to the Herrell story has undergone a similar change. It now reads, “Republican Who Lost US House Race Seeks to Impound Ballots.”
It may seem like a small thing, but the difference between these stories is the difference between healthy skepticism and no skepticism at all. That the AP’s tone changes entirely when the story is about a Democrat is probably just a coincidence. Probably.
