Allegations of bias in the news media happen all the time, but they are most evident at election time. Politicians and public interest groups may regard the omission of certain news items or issues from newspapers and radio and television news bulletins as a deliberate act of bias.

They may also feel the same about the angle given to a story or the choice made about its place in a page or a bulletin. More often than not, journalists make these choices on the basis of sound professional judgement. But mistakes are made.

When deadlines are tight and pressures are greatest, the weighing of these factors may be less thorough. In general, journalists must strive for fairness and for decisions made solely on the basis of news value.

The conspiracy theory

The “conspiracy theory” of deliberate bias is rejected by most journalists as being based on an inadequate knowledge by outsiders of the editorial process.

As insiders we know, too often, that it is lapses of judgement and cock-up rather than conspiracy that is to blame when things go awry in the newsroom.

Rejecting the notion of conspiracy, one senior newspaper editor has written:

“We do not conspire with outsiders because we are newspaper people — not politicians, megalomaniacs or political dilettantes. We do not slant news to favour any political party because — apart from being a fraud on our readers and bad journalism — to do so is dishonest. Journalism in its purest form is simply telling the truth, so long as it is in the public interest. We do not conspire with outsiders. We do not write for politicians or parties. We write for people.”

Political pressure

Most journalists might accept that, but we all know, too, that political pressure exists. Often it is based upon the traditional community of support to which media appeal — liberal newspapers tend to be left of centre in their editorial columns; conservative newspapers will favour right of centre politics.

Partisan journalism can be good journalism. Campaigning journalism has often nurtured the best tradition in the profession, but the opinions of the editorial columns should not interfere with the process of news gathering, news selection and placement. That is something which journalists always try to respect, and that is difficult for many outside journalism to understand.

Therefore, allegations of deliberate, political bias are easy to make and often difficult to refute. The choices to be made every day between different kinds of news and views and the omission of some items and the inclusion of others is bound to result in professional judgement which can be defined as bias.

A journalist comments:

“Of course the press is biased. The gathering, editing and publishing of news involves decisions by people who inevitably bring their own background, values and prejudices to bear on deciding what to select, emphasize and colour as news. Bias is inevitable; it is lack of balance in the representation of a range of views that is criticised. Lack of balance may characterise not only the way politics is presented in reports, but more generally, the way women, unions, homosexuals and minorities are reported.”

Unintentional bias

Even media critics, if pressed, would acknowledge that the media cannot be entirely free of bias. They would accept, for instance,that the editorial column, which serves as the institutional voice of a newspaper on a wide range of issues, must of necessity be biased because it expresses an opinion, even though such opinion must always be based on confirmed facts.

Nor would they object to the right of columnists to express their opinions, even if they disagree with them. Generally, what is objected to is a lack of balance in news columns, which are supposed to contain objective reportage, as far as that can be achieved.

Deliberate bias

Deliberate bias, sometimes slight, sometimes excessive, is the result of a conscious decision by the reporter, editor or proprietor to be partisan rather than even-handed.

Examples are the suppression of essential or important facts and the deliberate distortion of other facts through wrong or improper emphasis. Bias happens also when, for instance, newsreaders summarize speeches of the opposition with little or no footage whereas they run long footage of the speech by the ruling party candidate.

Subtle bias

Bias can also be seen in “camera angles” when TV crews are asked to focus on a campaign rally in such a way that it appears larger than it really is. Or when they are being asked to film the “best” or the “worst” profile of a candidate.

But the fact that a newspaper prints more news about the President or Prime Minister than about the Opposition leader or opposition candidate is not of itself evidence of deliberate bias.

It might reflect the fact that the President or Prime Minister does or says more as a result of the duties of his or her office; or that the President or Prime Minister is interesting and the opponent is dull; or that they provide information to meet deadlines.

Many journalists question whether it is the job of the media to go out of their way to polish up the Opposition’s image or improve its media skills to account for any such deficiencies.

Acting fairly

However, it is the media’s job to act fairly. Remember that many politicians are skilled at manipulating people, including media.

Some candidates are so obsessed with getting their message across without any journalistic filter that they have resorted to new ways of addressing directly the electorate.

In the 1992 presidential elections in the United States billionaire candidate Ross Perot rented television time to avoid having to talk to free media. He could, and did, buy all the airtime he wanted.

The bad news for our profession was that each time he attacked journalists, the switchboard of his headquarters was overwhelmed with calls from people volunteering for his campaign. Some candidates went on the television talk-show circuit with no journalist present and answered questions fielded directly by the public.

Journalists should carefully listen to the questions asked by the public: they may serve as an excellent barometer of real public concerns and as a warning for journalists as to the way they effectively cover those concerns.

Journalists are a link, not a veil

Never forget that you are a link between the event and the reader, listener or viewer and not a veil. News coverage should not become a barrier between the candidates and the voters. It should be a bridge connecting them.

“That desire of the people to become more involved in the political process is here to stay,” says Seymour Topping of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

“It will have increasing influence on newspapers as well as the electronic media. People will want to be in a position to have their views recorded more often and at greater length in newspapers. This can be done through letters to the editor, it can be done through op-ed pages and in news columns in the sense that reporters are drawn more to talk to the people themselves rather than addressing all their questions to politicians or to the leaders in business and the professions.”

Media bashing

Always be prepared for media bashing. Many candidates, especially lacklustre or losing candidates, think they get unfavourable coverage in the press and try the put the blame on the media. Do not be intimidated. Just do your job.

News values

Bias is also about news priorities. We can choose to focus on a particular issue, or we can join the herd in following a particular controversy, or we can decide to refrain from getting behind the glitz and the glamour of personality or character politics.

Bias occurs when we focus on the internal dynamics of an election campaign, on its “horse race” model instead of digging deep into the most substantive issues of the day. Beware of allowing a gap to grow between your news values and the nation’s real concerns.

According to studies in the United States (Out of Order by Thomas Patterson) “the voters’ concerns are closer to those of the candidates. The Markle Commission’s study of the 1988 campaign concluded that voters believe they get their best information about the candidates from debates”. And not from journalists!

Checks and balances

Bias should be fought by media organisations. A process of checks and balances can be set up within the newsroom itself in order to correct imbalance in reporting. Some media organisations have adopted operating procedures that guide journalists in the day-to-day dilemmas of their work.

Some have devised a reviewing process that closely monitors the performance of the newsroom. Others have even appointed a readers’ representative or ombudsman that is supposed to attend to readers’ complaints and to review the way the newspaper has covered a particular story.

Let us not forget that self-regulation and internal control procedures are always better than control by a press council stocked with “wise men” recruited outside of the profession and often endowed with legal or punitive powers.

The post Confronting editorial bias in election coverage first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Planning is essential for effective election coverage. The model below can be used as a checklist by editors or election coverage teams. It gives also some guidance on special editorial approaches to the campaign. Be careful, however, to adapt this model to local realities. Do not accept the argument that poorly funded media do not have the means to follow those rules. Journalism on a budget can be priceless.

Election planning checklist

1: Details

Check with the electoral commission regarding all the details of the coming poll: registration date, start and closing day of the campaign period, election day specifics (how the polling will be organized, timetable for election returns, etc).

2: Rules

Study the election rules: voting system, electoral laws, poll watching, laws governing international observation delegations, use of public opinion surveys, political advertising regulations, access to state media, electoral expenses limitations, etc).

3: Guidelines

Join other media, unions of journalists, publishers’ and broadcasters’ associations to agree guidelines, a code of conduct and a charter to be submitted to all political parties, committing them to respect journalists and protect them against harassment by party supporters.

Consider setting up an election media monitoring group comprised of respected, non-partisan figures charged with protecting the press from aggression and investigating any such incidents.

4: Audience awareness

Explain to your readers your reporting rules, how you are going to cover the campaign and why.

5: Budget

Budget the election reporting: an election campaign is usually good business for the media, but costs can run away with you.

You will need extra phone lines, faxes, additional cars and drivers, more overtime.

Plan carefully and allocate resources wisely. Underestimating your budget will get you into trouble. Keep a sensible proportion of your budget unallocated for contingencies.

6: Roles and responsibilities

Choose your team. Election coverage is the political desk’s golden hour but should not be its exclusive preserve.

All departments can be asked to perform duties according to their skills. Specialised writers will be commissioned to analyze issues on their beat (economics, health, foreign affairs, economics, labour, education), to compare competing political programmes, to scrutinise speeches and position papers, to track inconsistencies and expose propaganda.

The foreign desk, for instance, might be assigned to stories related to international observer teams, foreign press coverage, role of international organisations in the campaign, etc.

Some media organisations set up an election desk for the last weeks of the campaign. This option should be studied carefully especially in small newspapers.

The election campaign should not compromise reporting of other news.

7: Review procedure

Appoint an editorial panel: it will be charged with reviewing delicate questions that may arise as the campaign develops. It should include the editor-in-chief, the relevant department head, and a few distinguished commentators or reporters.

8: Operational issues

Plan technical and operational arrangements: pin down the advertising department (some pages should be considered ad-free during the campaign, precise guidelines should be given to acceptance and placement of political advertising), the production manager (s/he must provide for later deadlines on election day and for additional pages), and the distribution manager.

9: Staffing

Recruit additional personnel: young journalists to handle the information flow on election day, phone and fax operators, secretaries, drivers, etc.

10: Contacts list

Contact resource persons: they will be of much help to give expert advice during the election campaign and as soon as the results are public.

Election pundits, political scientists, public opinion analysts, should be on standby and attached to your particular media.

Appointments should be arranged in advance with political party leaders for election-night comments on results.

But do not overwhelm your readers with excessive punditry. Ordinary citizens should have their say too.

11: Media assets

Check your photo files: you should have as many pictures of candidates as possible stored in your photo library.

12: Backup systems

Plan for emergencies: what do you do if something breaks down on your side (your computer falls dead, your local journalist cannot contact you, one of your reporters is arrested or wounded, etc) and on the side of the government (failure in the collation of results, charges of irregularities, etc).

Planning is all-important, but never forget that your first responsibility is to the readers, the viewers and listeners.

13: Audience empowerment

Citizen’s groups which are formed to help voters use the power which elections put at their disposal are very useful. Take, for example, this advice given by Project Vote Smart in the US to American voters:

1. Remember who is in charge. In our democracy the citizen is the boss. Elected officials are temporary hired help.
2. View the election campaign as the politician’s job application.
3. Ask yourself if the candidates are giving you, the employer, the information needed to decide who is best for the job.

14: Clarity of content

Civic education: media must carefully and repeatedly explain the principles and techniques of voting and what the election will lead to (a new parliament, separation of powers, transparency, etc).

Media should introduce an open line to readers so they might ask questions on specific points of the campaign and air their views.

Run more interviews with voters not just “vox-pop” and quick quotes gathered in the street, but meaningful probing of how families are surviving in an economic crisis or how they deeply feel about education opportunities for their children.

15: Plans for polls

Public opinion polling: unprofessional polls are bad news, for voters and for media.

Never commission surveys that do not stick to the highest standards and never print them without fully explaining the conditions and the limits of the survey.

Expose any fraud in a political party or newspaper survey. Never forget that polls will never replace old-style political reporting.

16: Fact files

Start well ahead of election day: prepare profiles of major candidates, close-ups on most electoral districts (economic base, population profile, major problems, party dominance).

17: Backgrounders

Cover the issues: Pile up documentation on campaign issues (official figures, the state of the debate, major players and lobbies, etc.).

Cover those issues independently from party positions, report on issues that are neglected by political parties.

Too often issues are presented as just a conflict between opposing sides and not as objects of serious debate.

Always ask: What’s missing in the news today? Read everything, remember what the candidates said (and did) over a period of years not just days.

Do not confuse lobbying by interest groups or media-generated excitement with a grass-roots political movement.

Do not be afraid of repeating explanatory studies of difficult issues.

The “We’ve already done it” or “It does not interest anybody” cynicism should never be welcome in a newsroom. At election time is should be banned.

18: Style

Improve your sub-editors’ team: make stories and issues accessible to readers, de-code all political jargon, track down and annihilate all long words that render already difficult concepts totally incomprehensible.

19: Priorities

Beware of “pack” journalism: shy away from the tendency to follow candidates like a pack of wolves which leads to concentrate on the same events and interpret them in the same way.

This happens particularly when a candidate is seen as rising in the polls: when a candidate’s support increases sharply the coverage of his candidacy becomes more favourable.

20: Stakeholders

Keep in Touch with who is behind a party or a candidate: examine possible conflicts of interest. Look at a candidate’s record or promises and commitments: ask who has benefited or would benefit from a candidate’s proposals.

Follow the money: who is financing the campaign, what are the interests of those providing the money, and how will they benefit from the government (new legislation, regulatory power).

21: Variety

Use all forms of journalism: long reportage, analytical pieces, graphs, satire, sketches and cartoons, investigative journalism (who is behind a particular candidate, the role of special interests, etc), photojournalism, profiles, interviews, contradictory debates.

22: Propaganda

Open Space: Give politicians from different parties the possibility to write columns for your paper on a fair and rotating basis.

But stop this process at least two weeks before election day so as not to give undue advantage to one of the candidates and not to overwhelm your readers with party propaganda.

23: Stunts and tricks

Get acquainted with campaign tricks: Beware of stunts and cooked-up events designed just to grab headlines.

24: Overhype

Press releases: Do not just publish political parties’ press releases: check them, use them as a source for a more balanced story.

Do not run for “photo-opportunities”. Do not overhype controversy: a contrived rumour campaign can lead you far away from voters’ real interests.

25: Attribution

Be credible: Never forget that your long-term credibility is always at stake. Follow closely each candidate’s advertising campaign.

Some media have columns which scrutinise campaign promises and advertising techniques. Expose falsification and distortion wherever you find it.

Clearly identify and attribute any information coming from sources other than obtained from independent reporting.

26: Review process

After the election: review the way your team covered the campaign. Compare your performance with that of the competition.

27: Training

Train your staff in reporting a multiparty parliament or a coalition government. Follow up the candidates’ election campaign promises. Check their records against their commitments.

Keep an eye out for conflicts of interest: the type of legislation actively pushed by an MP can give you a tip on the identity of his financial backers.

The post Planning tips for effective election coverage first appeared on Media Helping Media.

The media is in the news business but it is not just in business. Journalists, broadcasters and publishers have a responsibility towards the society as a whole. That means that journalists operate on the edges of the market and democracy.

According to the Federazione Nazionale Della Stampa in Italy: “The function of the press is not to give support to this or that economic or political potentate, but to unravel the everyday, complex behaviour of society and powerful bodies for the benefit of its readers. Newspapers and journalism were originally intended to be, and must continue to be, useful instruments in the general interest rather than mouthpieces of individual, particular interests”.

It is a timely reminder that politicians must keep their hands out of the affairs of journalists. But it also means that journalists cannot be prevented by their publishers from carrying out their professional responsibilities.

Empowering journalists

In order to really empower journalists in this fundamental social function, some media have established editorial statutes that tend to guarantee independence from all kinds of pressure.

In Germany, journalists employed on Stern magazine have a detailed agreed statute covering editorial freedoms.

Article 1 of the statute states that Stern is a political magazine, but is independent of any of the political parties in Germany, of business corporations, or any other interest groups.

The Article says Stern seeks to inform and entertain its readers and expects its editorial staff to believe in a free, democratic system and to subscribe to progressive liberal principles.

Journalists or employees of Stern cannot be forced to carry out any task, to write anything or to take responsibility for anything against their convictions. They may not suffer any consequences from a refusal.

The interests of editorial workers at Stern are represented by an advisory board, consisting of seven editorial staff members, elected annually by secret ballot. On a petition of 30 editorial staff members, the advisory board must be newly elected.

The editor-in-chief of Stern is appointed by the publisher. The editor-in-chief requires the full confidence of the editorial staff: therefore, the publisher discusses the appointment with the advisory board.

The publisher will not appoint or dismiss an editor-in-chief if the advisory board is opposed to such a move with a two-thirds’ majority.

Staff decisions within the editorial department are taken by the editor-in-chief.

Staff changes at the level of deputy editor-in-chief, department head and political journalist cannot be made against the opposition of two-thirds of the advisory board.

The advisory board must give reasons for its position consistent with the principles contained in Article 1 of the statute.

These brief examples here show that where there is recognition of the problems of pressure practical action can be taken to reinforce professionalism and independence in media.

We should strive for independence at all times, but it must exist, above all, during the critical period for democracy when a nation or a community is electing to office those charged with defending their liberties and protecting their interests.

Checklist:

• How can news media improve coverage to ensure that news reports do not appear to slavishly follow the bias that may appear in editorial columns?
• What structures for internal discussion and debate should be established to review the election reporting process as it unfolds to correct any problems of apparent bias that may emerge?
• Is there a process of debate and dialogue within a newsroom which can reduce or eliminate personal prejudice?

The post Editorial independence during election coverage first appeared on Media Helping Media.