Meet the Experts and Expertise
Tina Barton
Elections Group, Senior Expert
Tina is a Senior Election Expert at The Elections Group. She recently capped a 32-year career as a government employee, serving in various roles at the local and federal levels. The last 16 years of her career have been dedicated to election administration and election safety while appointed as the City Clerk of Rochester Hills, Michigan, and as a Senior Advisor at the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. She is a graduate of Liberty University and holds a Master Municipal Clerk certification from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks.
Fernanda Camerana
Poynter
Fernanda Camerana is in charge of NBC standards and practices, now a faculty member for Poynter. She is an award-winning TV and radio reporter and editor who was most recently a manager on NBC News' Standards and Practices team, where she provided support and guidance to all NBC News, MSNBC, Telemundo and streaming platforms to ensure quality control and high journalistic standards. She's led teams and coached and mentored journalists who changed lives and changed laws.
She will be teaching How to navigate entities who say, “no comment” and then complain about balance later and ethical decision making. This is a program that program that’s establish and Poynter has been teaching throughout the last election cycle.
Scott MacFarlane
CBS News Congressional Correspondent
MacFarlane brings a wealth of experience to the Capitol Hill beat having covered Washington, D.C. and the federal government for nearly 20 years. MacFarlane's meticulous and ongoing coverage of the aftermath of the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has included interviews with several defendants and members of the House committee investigating the attack. MacFarlane and his reporting have also contributed to the public release of some of the video exhibits used by federal prosecutors in court.
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Prior to CBS News, MacFarlane was a Washington-based political and investigative reporter for NBC's local station for eight years, where he interviewed U.S. presidents, dozens of U.S. senators, governors and public officials. His investigations on public school security and his reporting on various child safety issues - as well as his reporting on thoroughbred horse racing deaths in West Virginia - gained national recognition.
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Scott's specialty is being in the political mix and having to navigate political coverage. As a reporter on the street, he will speak directly to his experiences.
Marc Jacob
Former Metro Editor, Chicago Tribune
Mark is a passionate orator and journalism mentor and one of our instructors. His teaching segment will be focused on the following 5 take-aways:
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1. When journalists know they can't get truth or balance...what do they do, how do they explain to their audience?
2. How to spot a dupe and navigate it?
3. How to find balance if the 'other side' refuses to talk?
4. Smart approaches to cover difficult topics?
5. The Truth Desert: How to find balance in the face of mis and disinformation?
David Rohde is an author and newsman. He is a former captive who was kidnapped by the Taliban in 2008. He escaped after seven months in captivity. Rohde's is a winner of numerous award for his work and his writing, including a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 1996 for his coverage of the Srebrenica massacre. He is versed as both a reporter and editor and will be participating on the panel discussion to talk about keeping election coverage on the up and up.
Darrell West
AI & Integrity Expert, Brookings
Darrell is a senior fellow in the Center for Technology Innovation within the Governance Studies program and a co-editor-in-chief of TechTank. West is the former vice president and director of Governance Studies. His current research focuses on artificial intelligence, robotics, and the future of work. West is also director of the John Hazen White Manufacturing Initiative. Prior to coming to Brookings, he was the John Hazen White Professor of Political Science and Public Policy and Director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University.
David Rohde
NBC News Senior Executive Editor for National Security