Pizza bridges the partisan gap on Election Day
For those familiar with working in a newsroom on Election Day, the big story isn’t only the outcome.
Let me paint a picture — phones are ringing nonstop, TVs are blaring, people are at each other across cavernous rooms. There’s electricity in the air.
And there’s also a smell …
Pizza.
Pizza is playing a key role in this year’s election, not just for journalists but for feeding voters waiting in long lines.
The newsroom pizza is a journalism tradition like no other. Big market, small market, network or affiliate — you’ll find pizza in every newsroom from coast to coast.
Unless you are working on location for the election. Then we would only be so lucky if the house cats left a cold, sad-looking piece of crust for us to fight over when we returned. I digress.
If there’s one thing that reporters, producers and editors love more than the pizza itself, it’s talking about the pizza.
Curious if this trend was buzzing on Twitter, we used Paraqeet to see what the “Pizza” and “Election” orbit looks like heading into Election Day.
Below is a snapshot. Pizza is playing a key role in this year’s election, not just for journalists but for feeding voters waiting in long lines.
A few themes emerged:
- Journalists feeding journalists — Reporters from other beats appear to have a soft spot for their colleagues covering elections this year. Jim Boren, executive director of the Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust and longtime political journalist, crowdsourced input for how to feed journalists covering Election Night during a pandemic and working from home. Ellen Chang, finance and investments reporter for U.S. News & World Report and The Street, offered pizza delivery from local joints for any journalist covering the election who reached out
- Re-creating the newsroom at home — Many wondered how to replicate the beloved vibe of the Election Night newsroom while they are working from home. If there isn’t cold pizza to fight over, did the election even happen? Overheard in the Newsroom asked its followers how their newsrooms planned to handle a very different Election Night than years past. Steve Zimmerman, editor/designer for the Chicago Tribune’s Design and Production Studio, recommended stocking up on your favorite frozen pizza to enjoy in the comfort of your home. The Student Press Law Center offered tips for Election Night pizza at home for the next generation of political journalists.
- Pizza to the Polls — Potential record turnout and strict cleaning measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at polling locations mean voters could be forced to wait in very long lines. Enter pizza to save the day. Pizza to the Polls was founded the weekend before the 2016 election and is playing an active role feeding hungry voters this year, taking reports of long lines and delivering pizza from local shops to make that wait more bearable. Actress Debra Messing got in on the action, empowering followers with five election week actions — one of which is sending pizza to the polls! We can all agree an empty stomach is no reason to miss out on your right to vote.
For anyone who wants to check out other trends, you can sign up for free access to Paraqeet.
Enjoy your #ElectionPizza! Whether it is frozen, a gift from a friend or delivered to you while you’re waiting in line, it’s one thing that can warm all of our hearts in these partisan times — while supporting a business in need.
