For the media themselves the start of the campaign period is when election coverage really takes off. By contrast the smooth operation of the regulatory process will depend very largely on the system that has been put in place before the elections. By this stage the fundamental questions should already have been answered, with the media and political parties clearly understanding their roles and responsibilities:

• What laws or regulations govern media coverage of the campaign?
• Who is responsible for implementing these?
• What are the regulations governing direct access broadcasting?
• What are the regulations governing paid political advertising?
• What are the policies on hate speech and defamation, and any miscellaneous provisions on issues such as news blackouts and opinion polls?
• What is the mechanism if any member of the public, a political party or the media themselves has a complaint?

At this point the process of accreditation of journalists can be started.

It cannot be stressed too strongly that these issues should be determined in advance of the campaign. Determining these important questions of policy on an ad hoc basis will diminish the authority of the supervisory body in relation to the media and create the impression that some media are not receiving equal treatment.