Media and Elections: A Guide for Electoral Practitioners

"[T]he electorate and political actors have the right to freely discuss political issues and public policies and to express opinions. Voters and candidates rely heavily on access to the media to both impart and receive information. This requires an open and diverse media that can provide balanced and impartial coverage and equitable access for competing candidates and parties."

This guide is designed to be a key reference tool for electoral practitioners, including electoral management bodies (EMBs), independent broadcasting authorities, and international assistance providers - all of whom can have an important role to play with the media, both in terms of safeguarding the role of an independent press in the electoral processes but also in using it effectively to communicate with the public to get their own messages out.

Published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the guide is comprised of 10 chapters, each of which can be read independently, which deal with various issues of media and communications during the electoral process. They include:

• Chapter 1 outlines international and regional human rights standards for freedom of speech and expression. It also explains the permissible limits for free speech - in particular, in cases of hate speech, invasion of privacy, and national security. According to UNDP, these principles are crucial to understanding the role and responsibilities of the media and the rights of parties, candidates, and voters in regards to the media in the electoral process.
• Chapter 2 covers the best practices, ethical principles, and programmatic standards for election coverage and media access. It also discusses some of the common problems and their solutions in election-related reporting.
• Chapter 3 explains the key principles of media oversight and the importance of appropriate forms of regulation for the different types of media such as broadcast, print, and new media (e.g., the internet and mobile phones).
• Chapter 4 describes the process of media monitoring during an election and the establishment of oversight bodies to serve that function.
• Chapter 5 outlines the complaint process for issues identified in the media and the principles, processes, and structures involved in the efficient and transparent handling of those complaints.
• Chapter 6 deals with the issue of administrative penalties and sanctions for violations of media codes of conduct and regulations.
• Chapter 7 raises the issues posed by the new media, including the internet, and content distributed through mobile telephone networks.
• Chapter 8 covers the issue of trans-frontier television and satellite broadcasting and national issues related to election coverage.
• Chapter 9 focuses on EMB communications and how to develop an integrated and strategic approach to communications throughout the electoral cycle.
• Chapter 10 covers access to information requirements and how EMBs may handle freedom of information requests.

The guide concludes with 5 brief case studies on election and media-related projects supported by UNDP to illustrate more clearly how some of the concepts addressed in the main text work on the ground. These are: (i) supporting media coverage in Afghanistan; (ii) supporting media coverage of elections in Sierra Leone; (iii) supporting Equity News in Cambodia; (iv) supporting media monitoring and enhancing media responsibilities in Guyana; and (v) supporting professionalised communications in Nepal.