Nov. 8 has been circled in red on my calendar for a long time.
From the moment I became City & State Editor, I’ve been planning how The Daily Tar Heel would cover the 2022 Midterms.
Since then, the DTH has been preparing our election coverage with one thing in mind: what reader needs to know.
This year’s midterm elections are one of the most important we have encountered, especially for students. More is on the line this year — access to reproductive health care after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, as well as social, economic and climate reforms.
Even before this semester, DTH editors and reporters have been thinking about how we could best serve the needs of the Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Orange County communities through our coverage.
From the primary elections in May until today, the City & State Desk has been writing stories about candidates, important races and issues that are motivating voters.
We were in the DTH office until 3 a.m. on the night of the primary elections last spring, writing stories as election results were released. We will be doing the same tonight, the evening of Nov. 8.
Why? Because election coverage is some of the most important work the City & State Desk does.
If we didn’t do this work, Orange County would be one step closer to being a news desert — a community with limited access to credible and comprehensive news and information that feeds democracy at the grassroots level.