This column is part of the Indianapolis Public Editor project , a pilot program designed to test whether the presence of a public editor who analyzes local coverage can elevate audience trust in journalism and promote media literacy.

In the run-up to this week’s midterm election, it was not uncommon to hear Indiana political figures attack Muslims.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced his office would investigate two groups for connections to terrorism. The groups, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Students for Justice in Palestine, support Muslim causes.

Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith called Islam a “demonic death cult” and suggested public calls to prayer should be banned in Indiana.

A relatively new political group, Save Heritage Indiana, promoted mass deportation at an August rally hosted in Fishers, Indiana.

Our local news media have important choices to make when xenophobic speech peppers our information feeds. Journalists must decide what to report on and how to add context.…