Traditionally, elections are reported in a top-down manner. The media relay, and perhaps comment upon, the manifestoes, pledges and speeches of the parties and candidates. The electorate consumes the messages relayed by the media and makes its political choice accordingly.
A more constructive approach is what has been labelled “voters-voice reporting”. This takes as its starting point the concerns of voters in elections, rather than the promises of politicians. From this starting point it attempts to do two things.
- To inform the voters about how effectively politicians are meeting their concerns.
- To inform politicians about what the concerns of voters really are.
The concept of voters-voice reporting has been developed by the Institute for Media Policy and Civil Society (IMPACS). IMPACS argues that journalists need to think like the people, not like the politicians. They need to discover voters’ preoccupations – which may often be very local and unnewsworthy, judged by traditional news criteria. IMPACS points out that this is harder work for the journalist – it involves going out and interviewing voters, as well as attending press conferences and rallies. It will require background research on the issues.
