Responsible Media Coverage of Elections: A Training Guide

This guide, published by Radio for Peace Building Africa, is designed for journalists covering elections on the African continent, particularly in situations of extreme tension or post-conflict reconstruction. It was produced to encourage good journalistic practices before, during, and after elections in order to manage conflict that can arise during this transitional period. The guide gathers both theoretical aspects and more pragmatic elements, providing journalists with essential tools to cover elections responsibly.
According to Radio for Peace Building Africa, this guide is based on the activities that Search for Common Ground (SFCG) has conducted in Burundi and Guinea, with the support of the National Democratic Institute, Radio France International, the United States Agency for International Development, Swiss Cooperation, and the European Union. The guide includes details about media synergy strategies in which journalists from different media organisations of a country collaborate and network with each other at different stages in the electoral process to ensure responsible and effective coverage of the elections. Media synergy strategies were used in the 2005 and 2010 elections in Burundi and the 2010 election in Guinea.