Role of the media essential

IT IS generally accepted that an independent, pluralistic and free press is essential for the development and maintenance of democracy.

For us it is also fitting that the May 18 elections will be held two weeks after we had marked Press Freedom Day and celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration.

As we draw inspiration from the anniversary and declaration, it is important to reflect on the role of the media in elections.

The role of the Fourth Estate has been articulated in many international and regional instruments. Here at home, the Electoral Code of Conduct requires every party and every candidate to respect the role of the media before, during and after an election.

Furthermore, every party and candidate is also required to take all reasonable steps to ensure that journalists are not subjected to harassment, intimidation, hazard, threat or physical assault by any of its representatives or supporters.

In practice, the relationship between some governments and the media, particularly during election periods, remains challenged.

Intolerable

There are many examples of countries where journalists are harassed, intimidated, arrested and even murdered during elections. Veteran Israeli politician Shimon Peres once unleashed a blistering attack on the role of the media in politics and during an election, accusing it of making "dictatorship almost impossible," but also making "democracy almost intolerable".

At the time, he was referring to the fact that even though his Likud Party was under the media's magnifying glass for alleged financial and other forms of misconduct, his opponents, the Labour Party was trailing in the polls.

This begs the question: Does the media - print, broadcast, social media or on-line - make democracy intolerable in a society either during or after an election? What actually is the role of the media during and after an election?

The role of the media in the run up to and during elections goes beyond sensational reporting.

Its role includes disseminating information to the electorate on the entire electoral process, give information on what different political parties or candidates stand for to enable the electorate to make an informed choice and provide a platform for political parties to communicate their messages to the electorate and to debate with each other and with the public.

The media can only fulfil this role in an environment where there are no unreasonable limitations on free expression during elections.

The public pays attention to what it sees and reads. But there is a flip side to this coin. Voters are not gullible and cannot be easily mani-pulated. They have great instincts.

Thus contesting parties or candidates can only attract their attention if they have a clear message on major issues.

It is imperative for journalists to understand the entire electoral process for them to report accurately, fairly, in a balanced manner, which begs the question: can their reports reflect a party political bias?

I certainly don't believe that news coverage should reflect any political party leanings. Journalists should feel free to engage in political debate outside of work situations or in opinion pieces. After all, journalists are South African citizens first before they are journalists, so they have a right to their opinions.

But they should do so outside of work commitments. When attending rallies and town hall meetings, journalists should just report the news.

Initially, those who produce the news or represent the media need to take the first step in presenting independent information.

For the public to make sound judgment this election, journalists working with newspapers, television, radio and on-line media must discern between truth and propaganda.

They must put across clear facts for the public agenda. Discernment must reside in both TV and print, for this bluntly provides the way for verification of facts and accuracy to occur.

Commentating

But opinion or editorial writers should commentate and offer their views of the top issues. Of course, this remains more than simple commentating.

Rather, this involves a deep ana-lysis of all factors involved. Those who praise or question an issue must also practiSe a level of discernment.

Also, we should never underestimate the social media in this technologically-advanced century.

The social media will always play a vital role in politics. It is pleasing that some parties are capitalising on the most recent breakthrough of Internet campaigning, which is more economic and interactive compared to traditional mediums of communication.

Internet advertising is also particularly appealing to the ever-elusive, techno-savvy youth vote. Social networking behemoths such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter allow users to view pictures, blogs and even send messages to a party.

Indeed, media leadership represents a key role in society.

If South Africans wish to keep their freedoms sacred and intact, they must be able to make decisions from untainted communication avenues. There can be democracy only when the media and the people operate with free-flowing information.

There is no doubt that deciding leadership for our country is an important task that needs to be handled carefully.

Both journalists and citizens must discern the information presented so that informed choices can be made. We all know that when the truth takes a back seat, the real division stands tall.

• The writer is CEO of the Independent Electoral Commission