Ahead of the 2024 U.S. election, SmartNews launched a campaign to tackle one of the biggest challenges facing voters: the increasing spread of misinformation in the news. With Americans more often struggling to distinguish fact-based reporting from false or misleading content, and with generative AI further complicating the information landscape, it became evident that a proactive effort to raise awareness and educate was necessary.
The campaign had two primary objectives: to raise awareness about the scope and effects of misinformation and to bolster SmartNews’s reputation as a trusted source for fair and credible news. The aim was to help news consumers identify misinformation, build trust in reliable journalism, and show SmartNews’s dedication to delivering high-quality, balanced news from across the political spectrum.
To address growing concerns about misinformation ahead of the 2024 U.S. election, SmartNews launched a three-pronged campaign focused on research, public education, and product innovation. The approach was designed not just to highlight the problem, but to give voters practical tools to navigate a confusing and often misleading news environment.
1) Misinformation Study
SmartNews conducted a national survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, along with 400 additional respondents in 10 key metropolitan areas, to understand how misinformation was impacting voters. Some key findings revealed:
These findings shaped the campaign’s messaging, reinforcing the importance of credible, local journalism and the need for tools to help users identify trustworthy information sources.
2) Expert-Led Media Engagements
To bring these insights to the public, SmartNews partnered with award-winning journalist Wendy Bounds, whose experience spans The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. Wendy served as a trusted media ambassador, participating in live-streamed interviews and local media appearances where she broke down misinformation tactics and introduced the concept of “information anxiety,” which she described as the stress and confusion caused by an overwhelming and often misleading news environment. She also provided practical tips to help Americans stay informed without falling for sensationalized headlines or conspiracy theories. By leading these conversations with an experienced journalist, SmartNews ensured the campaign’s educational efforts were credible, relatable, and accessible to a broad audience.
3) Election-Ready App Experience
Lastly, SmartNews enhanced its app to be a direct tool in the fight against misinformation. A dedicated election channel was created as a centralized hub for trustworthy political coverage. This channel featured news stories from a wide array of vetted publishers across the political spectrum, live election results from the Associated Press, and 24/7 oversight by SmartNews’s Trust & Safety team. Human journalists continuously monitored publisher content and ensured that misinformation was flagged and removed. This product-driven approach aimed to do more than just warn users about misinformation; it actively surfaced credible reporting and made it easier for voters to access reliable election information in real-time.
One of the campaign’s main challenges was maintaining political neutrality in an increasingly polarized media environment. Even well-intentioned efforts risked being perceived as biased. To address this, SmartNews prioritized transparency at every step, including clearly labeling all news sources, publicly sharing research methodology, and ensuring that featured publishers represented a wide range of political perspectives. By combining research, trusted media voices, and thoughtful product design, SmartNews created a campaign that equipped voters with practical tools to navigate misinformation during a critical election season.
SmartNews’s campaign succeeded by translating a complex, national challenge into a call to action. By combining original research, expert voices, and product innovation, the campaign connected with news consumers across geographies and political affiliations, which drove awareness and reinforced SmartNews’s credibility in a noisy media landscape.
The campaign secured over 75 media placements across more than 30 states, including broadcast coverage in major cities like Houston, Chicago, and Phoenix, as well as regional op-eds and data storytelling features in outlets such as Axios and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
By surfacing insights that bridged political lines and captured the public’s unease, the campaign cemented SmartNews as both a platform and a public advocate for news literacy.