ABC-7’s editorial approach to covering the 2026 midterm election

ABC-7's goal is to produce accurate, transparent, and balanced coverage for members of an engaged and informed local electorate.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – Truth, trust and transparency are the guiding principles the ABC-7 news team is
prioritizing in our coverage of the 2026 midterm election.

As watchdogs for our community, we will focus on local, county and state races, while working in
tandem with our network partners to cover the balance of power in the United States Congress and gubernatorial races.

Our Coverage Priorities

As an independent newsgathering organization, we have developed a list of six coverage priorities to
guide our political reporting. The list was derived from audience feedback and internal newsroom
discussion, and will take priority over orchestrated campaign events organized by individual campaigns

Crime	Economy	Education
As part of our commitment to covering public safety, we will track which violent crimes are being committed, and where. We will ask candidates about crime trends and their plans for addressing and funding public safety concerns.	As part of our commitment to covering public safety, we will track which violent crimes are being committed, and where. We will ask candidates about crime trends and their plans for addressing and funding public safety concerns.	School funding, classroom sizes and lesson plans all impact a child’s ability to learn and excel. Our coverage will cover everything from the classroom to the school board meeting room.
Health Care	Housing	Immigration
Access to affordable health care, prescription drug costs and unexpected medical bills continue to impact personal pocketbooks. We will explore each of the issues, along with solutions to help improve healthy living.	Availability and affordability remain obstacles for many would-be homeowners. At the same time, the number of people experiencing homelessness is also increasing. We will report on specific plans to address each issue.	Immigration, deportation, trade and tariff policies continue to impact communities beyond the border states. City and county budgets are stressed with added expenses and receive inconsistent aid from the federal government. We will report on the search for solutions at local, county, state and federal levels.

Earning Trust Through Transparency

While it is impossible to plan for every potential coverage scenario, it is our intention is to explain our
overall editorial approach and priorities.

To maintain continuity in our coverage, we will take a “beat” approach by assigning specific
reporters to cover individual candidates and issues; this will allow our team of journalists to immerse
themselves in the subject matter leading up to election day. While it may not always be possible to
schedule with 100% consistency, we will do our best.

• In our TV and digital stories, we will clearly attribute sources of all data and documentation included
  in the report (and include hyperlinks when available).
• When we interview a candidate, or spokesperson for an issue, we will post the full, unedited video
  version of the interview, as well as a written transcription on our website and news app. If/when
  Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are used to transcribe lengthy interviews, we will disclose that fact in
  an Editor’s Note.
• If/when AI tools are used to assist our storytelling process, we will be transparent in disclosing how
  and why the tools were utilized, and confirm that all material was reviewed by a human editor prior
  to publication and/or broadcast.
• When covering multiple candidates running for the same race, we will attempt to fairly compare
  each by asking the same (or similar) questions and by allowing equal time for each response.
• If a candidate chooses not to answer a direct question from one of our reporters, we will make a
  respectful second attempt to ask the question again. If the candidate selects to not answer a
  second time, we may choose to not include his/her response in our edited story (the full interview
  will remain available online).
• If we choose to interview a political expert, it will be so the individual can help explain a complex
  issue without taking a political position. We will thoroughly vet the individual’s background and
  explain why the interview is important/relevant.
• When we stream or air a scheduled candidate speech, we will request a hard copy in advance and,
  when provided, post it with the archived video of the speech.

We will also publish an online Voter’s Guide to help you do your own research on the candidates and
issues that will be on November’s ballot. The Voter’s Guide will include widgets to partner resources
that allow you to register to vote/check your registration status, and see what is on your ballot.

Tracking polls (aka “horse race” polls) may be included as a springboard into an in-depth report or to
add context within a story. Here are links to the polls we will be monitoring, including those used by the
broadcast networks.

• CBS News YouGov Polls
• CNN Polling
• Emerson College
• Fox News Polls (Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R))
• Kaiser Family Foundation
• Harvard Harris Poll
• NBC News Public Opinion Strategies
• Pew Research Center
• Quinnipiac University
• Rasmussen Reports
• Real Clear Politics

Producing Accurate & Unbiased Coverage

According to the American Psychological Association, implicit bias “is a negative attitude, of which one
is not consciously aware, against a specific social group. Implicit bias is thought to be shaped by
experience and based on learned associations between particular qualities and social categories,
including race and/or gender. Individuals’ perceptions and behaviors can be influenced by the implicit
biases they hold, even if they are unaware they hold such biases.”

Awareness and knowledge of the potential for implicit bias are our best defenses against it influencing
our reporting. We have already adopted the following best practices from the Center for Racial Justice
Innovation into our companywide editorial guidelines, and will apply them to our political coverage:

• Avoid stereotypes
• Use a multiracial lens, and consider all communities of color.
• Focus on actions and impacts, rather than attitudes and intentions.
• Ensure headlines, images, captions and graphics are fair and responsible in their depiction of
  people (of color), and coverage of the issues.

We will also assign reporters to fact-check statements made by candidates during campaign
appearances and in advertising messages paid for by individual campaigns and/or political action
committees. Fact-check reporting will include attribution to the sources used to confirm or contradict
candidate statements, and we will also include information about who is paying for advertising
messages.

All ABC-7 content is protected by copyright and we do not allow any of our published or broadcast
content to be used in any political advertisements that might be produced, distributed and/or paid for by
any outside entity including candidates, issue supporters or political action committees.

Get Engaged and Informed by Checking Our Online Voter’s Guide

To track the stories that are most important to you, we invite you to create a user profile on our website by clicking the bell icon at the bottom right of your screen. Here are the benefits of creating an account:

• Personalized profile allows you to create a site avatar and keep track of your personal engagement
  history.
• Personalized news feed allows you to follow your favorite authors and/or topics.
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