Media peak bodies, journalist unions, or professional associations, are consortiums made up of media organisations and/or individual journalists and editors. These bodies are usually fully independent of governments. They are often keepers of a code of conduct (and sometimes a specific elections code of conduct) which member organizations and individuals must ratify. In some cases media organisations cooperate with the EMB to produce a code of conduct for elections reporting, and in this case may be asked specifically to monitor its implementation. These consortiums have a particular interest in election media monitoring to ensure that codes are adhered to, thereby protecting the reputation of the media large. The issue of safeguarding reputation is often particularly the relevant in countries or regions emerging from conflict or an authoritarian past, and as such media feel compelled to actively monitor, as well as promote and demonstrate impartiality and professionalism.
In Tanzania’s 2000 elections, a media monitoring project was initiated by the Media Council, a voluntary professional body, in conjunction with other NGOs concerned with media freedom and professionalism. The project began with a conference, attended by representatives of the main media, which drew up a code of conduct for election coverage. The purpose of monitoring was explicitly to examine whether coverage complied with the standards that the media themselves had agreed upon. Inevitably, media houses often disputed the findings of the monitors. However, they also proved ready to engage in dialogue, which can only have benefited the quality of coverage.[i]
In addition, individual media agencies often establish internal rules and guidelines for elections reporting, such as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC); and / or carry out extensive internal monitoring of their elections coverage, for example the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC).
[i] “Interim Report, Elections 2000 Media Monitoring Project”, (Media Council of Tanzania monitoring report, Tanzania, November 2000), 3 http://aceproject.org/main/samples/me/mex23.pdf
