Tens of millions of Americans will turn to television networks to make sense of the onslaught of state-by-state election results, as anchors prepare to guide viewers through a tense evening — and possibly several tense days after that, The New York Times reports.

The watchword of the night will be caution: anchors and correspondents at the major news networks plan to urge patience as vote tallies trickle in from battleground states, some of which are expected to count ballots at an agonisingly slow clip.

The networks are also preparing to confront what many expect will be a gale-force storm of misinformation, given the razor-thin polling margins and the huge consequences of the result. Conspiracy theories and rumours about the credibility of the results are likely to fill social media and group chats as the evening unfolds.

The broadcast networks will go into special-report mode beginning at 7pm ET. The marathon coverage may continue well beyond November 5, as absentee ballots are counted and close races potentially encounter legal challenges and reviews.

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