Election reporting starts here: SANEF’s 2026 training modules are live
Election reporting can move very quickly. One moment a reporter is covering a community meeting, the next they are dealing with party claims, candidate disputes, disinformation, safety risks, numbers that do not add up and voters who are asking very practical questions.
That is why SANEF’s updated 2026 election training materials are such an important resource for newsrooms.
The modules are now live on the SANEF Elections Portal and are useful for both new reporters and those who have covered elections for years. They are also a good reminder that election coverage is not only about rallies, personalities and results. It is about helping the public understand how power works, how votes are counted, what parties and candidates are promising, and what those promises mean for people’s daily lives.
For instance, Module 3 on disinformation can help journalists understand the difference between misinformation, disinformation and malinformation. It also explains why the term “fake news” can be misleading, especially when it is used to dismiss credible journalism.
Importantly, the module gives reporters a practical checklist for verifying visual content. Before using a photo or video, journalists are encouraged to ask whether it is original, whether it has been scraped from old reporting and repurposed, whether it has been digitally manipulated, and whether the time and place can be confirmed through metadata or visual clues. This is especially useful during elections, when old images, staged content, manipulated visuals and AI-generated material can travel quickly.
The training material also covers how elections work, the role of the media during elections, the safety of journalists on- and offline, and reporting on local government.
This election cycle is expected to be highly contested. Before the pressure of the campaign fully hits, reporters and editors should make time to read the modules, discuss them in newsrooms and use them as a practical guide.
