It is a truism that the media play an indispensable role in the proper functioning of a democracy. Discussion of the media's functions usually focuses on their 'watchdog' role: by unfettered scrutiny and discussion of the successes and failures of governments, the media can inform the public of how effectively its representatives have performed and help to hold them to account. Yet the media can also play a more specific part in enabling full public participation in elections, not only by reporting on the performance of government, but also in a number of other ways:
- by educating the voters on how to exercise their democratic rights.
- by reporting on the development of the election campaign.
- by providing a platform for the political parties to communicate their message to the electorate.
- by allowing the parties to debate with each other.
- by reporting results and monitoring vote counting.
The media are not the sole source of information for voters, but in a world dominated by mass communications it is increasingly the media that determine the political agenda, even in less technologically developed corners of the globe. Thus, election observation teams, for example, now routinely comment upon media access and coverage of elections as a criterion for judging whether elections are fair. In parallel, monitoring the media during election periods has become an increasingly common practice, using a combination of statistical analysis and the techniques of media studies and discourse analysis to measure whether coverage has been fair.
At stake are three interlocking sets of rights:
- the right of the voters to make a fully informed choice.
- the right of the candidates to put their policies across.
- the right of the media to report and express their views on matters of public interest.
Of course, these rights, which are essentially all aspects of the right to freedom of expression guaranteed in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, apply at all times, and not only when there is an election pending. But it is the very formality of the election process - the fact that it is conducted according to procedures that are clearly set out in law - that has stimulated the interest of those who are concerned with issues of media freedom. How far media freedom and pluralism are respected during an election period can be a fairly sensitive index of respect for freedom of expression in general - itself an essential precondition for a functioning democracy. Conversely, an election can be an ideal opportunity to educate both the authorities in their obligation to respect and nurture media freedom and the media in their responsibility to support the democratic process.
This topic area is primarily concerned with the responsibility of election administrators to develop a regulatory framework for media activities during election periods and to facilitate media freedom. However, much of it may also be of value to others, such as media practitioners themselves and political parties.
It begins by looking at overarching principles: the role of the media in a democracy and the development of international and comparative jurisprudence on media and elections. It also discusses how the different levels of economic development and pluralism of the media and differing professional standards will affect the nature and quality of media coverage of elections.
The central part of this topic area is a discussion of the different models for a regulatory framework for the media in elections, ranging from an independent electoral commission to a specialized media regulator, such as a broadcasting commission or a voluntary media council or press complaints body. It looks at the different obligations of the print media and broadcasters, as well as those between media that are privately owned and those that are funded out of public money.
The topic area goes on to look at the various issues arising out of media coverage of the successive stages of the electoral process, from the pre-campaign period of voter education, through the campaign itself, to voting day, the count and the announcement of results. It explores the different types of media coverage - such as voter education, direct access by political parties, news and current affairs and other types of special election coverage. It discusses a number of specialized issues such as professional standards for reporting opinion polls, how to distinguish between reporting the functions of government and the activities of incumbent office holders as candidates, and the legal and ethical obligations of the media when reporting provocative statements by political figures.
