Activity Details (ID# 16033)

Activity Synopsis

The objectives of the seminar were to present to journalists the standards of the Council of Europe regarding freedom of expression in the time of elections and to discuss with the participants the possible difficulties they may encounter when implementing these principles in their daily work. 

The Recommendation n° (99) 15 of the Council of Europe on media coverage of electoral campaigns was presented to the participants. Then, some particular and practical aspects of the coverage of election campaigns by the press, on the one hand, and by broadcast media, on the other, were discussed with the participants.

As regards the coverage of election campaigns by the press, the idea of setting up a working plan weeks or even months before the campaign starts was not a very familiar one to the local journalists, who were apparently more used to working on a day to day basis.

It became clear in the discussion that some participants had particular concerns about the abuse of power by ministers seeking to use every opportunity to maximise their profiles during the election campaign by opening prestigious projects such as schools, clinics, bridges or roads. Others raised the issue of hate speech and how it should be covered, while another concern was pressure from political parties on both press and broadcasters through ''monitoring'' or making complaints. A further issue was the appearance of polls without a clear idea of methodology or who had commissioned them. Finally, participants questioned whether the regulatory rules for broadcasters laid down by the CRA meant they could not ask politicians difficult questions.

There was a lively exchange of views. The Council of Europe experts reminded the journalists of the Press Code of Bosnia-Herzegovina which underlines the responsibility of all journalists to report accurately and with respect for the truth. The Code stresses the importance of freedom of information and the right to fair comment, as well as the need to avoid inciting hatred. ''The acceptance of bribes or favours to influence the work of a reporter or editor is the profession's gravest moral offence.'' The test of the profession would come from whether they were true to their own ethical principles.

The experts stressed the need for journalists to maintain their editorial confidence during an election campaign by examining past statements and performance from the parties and ministers as well as present policies. Press and broadcasting could still help electors by concentrating on the key issues and reducing the impact of hate speech, if used, by the way in which it was reported. One of the ways of resisting pressure, which is to be expected, is by setting up a complaint unit within the broadcaster to deal with serious complaints and acknowledging error if a mistake had been made. But persistent abuse or over reaction adding up to unfair pressure should be reported publicly as part of the story of the campaign. Journalists should not let go of their editorial judgement or independence.

The challenges to journalists were clear. They have to ensure that campaign reporting is based on the significance of the issues and the events they are reporting. Moreover equal treatment does not necessarily mean equal time. It has to be proportionate to the size of the party and its support (equal means reporting fairly). Also, journalists covering the campaign should be specialists and have appropriate training. Polls had to be tested thoroughly as to their origin and funding source as well as to their scientific credibility.

The challenge to the regulators was to ask whether it was any longer possible in an internet age to maintain a ''day of reflection'' free of all news about the election when these days information is always available from somewhere. It is better to have news from open sources rather than risk potential harm caused by rumour and speculation. Interviews should be probing and testing and not simply polite. Democracy depends on a robust exchange of views.''
 

This was the first time that the Media Division organised a seminar in Banja-Luka and this was much appreciated by the participants with whom there was a lively exchange of views.
Organising the seminar outside Sarajevo allowed for the participation of media professionals who could not have taken the time to go to Sarajevo for a seminar. The experience should be renewed, including in other cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
 

Journalists, Editors, Lawyers and Judges
Ph.D. Drago BRANKOVIĆ, Chairman of the Press Council and Boris KUJUNDŽIĆ from the Communications Regulatory Agency took also an active part in the Seminar.
 

Mr Manuel LUCBERT, journalist and trainer at the ESJ-Lille, “Ecole Supérieure de Journalisme”; former Secretary General of the daily newspaper “Le Monde” - France
Mr Stephen WHITTLE, independent expert, formerly Controller, Editorial Policy, BBC – United Kingdom
 

Ms Charlotte de BROUTELLES, Media Division, Directorate General of Human Rights