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Top Story: 2025 came faster than we thought
Remember when Trump denied knowing anything about Project 2025; the seminal blue print for his current administration.
It seems like eons ago when we were warning audiences about the plan he said he wasn’t planning.
Now, we are in the awkward position of admitting that they didn’t actually hear us/believe us/pay attention.
It’s a bad place to be when it’s your job to spread the news.
This doesn't mean we should stop reporting on Project 2025 and the actors who are moving it forward.
But we need a new strategy for covering the 900-page plan and the way it is being rolled out; a strategy that has a better chance of breaking through.
Here are some ideas:
Reporting on Project 2025 today
Lead with the impact; not with the document. Union busting, the roll-back on environmental regulations, and the firing of federal employees - these are political agendas audiences care about, if we make it clear how they are going to impact them. Our job is to make the connection and stay away from abstract initiatives without context.
Make sure your stories are about people, places, and things. The best way to illustrate why they matter is to put our focus on the people who are — or will be — most touched by them. Keep your attention on the people, places, and things your audiences care about.
Look forward; not back. We may be really ticked off that Trump said he knew nothing about Project 2025; and now he and his pals are enacting a lot of the policies listed in it. But that is likely too abstract for most people to care about; particularly people who don't trust politicians (which is more people than a lot of us think.) Sure, you can mention this, but stay mostly focused on the here and now.
Avoid political jargon. The mere name Project 2025 may have been too esoteric for a lot of people to actually take in. It’s certainly not as appealing as the well-named Big, Beautiful Bill. Keep any terms used by insiders to talk about initiatives out of your stories. They can be confusing; and they can alienate audiences.
Stay local. People care about people around them. Avoid stories that focus on far away figures. Shed a light, instead, on local actors who are pushing Project 2025 forward. People have a say about their elected officials, so focusing on them is more likely to garner their attention and empower them to do something about initiatives they don’t like.
Don’t forget to take your stories to social. Learning how to produce quick TikTok or Instagram posts is going to be crucial for your ability to reach new audiences. Why not start now!?
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Executive Editor Kyle Spencer
Managing Editor Christen Gall
Our Board of Advisors
Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability
David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy
Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations
Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.
Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War
Nancy MacLean, William H. Chafe distinguished professor of history and public policy at Duke University and author of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America
Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War
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