Watching the watchdog during polls

In the elections, mass media play a critical role by applying its strength to shape and create public opinion towards on certain issues, agenda or even group. The mass media have the ability to effect change among individuals. It sets subjects what people ought to think about. We see what the televisions broadcast, we hear what the radios play and we read what the newspapers print. These create pictures about the life around in our heads and we react largely on the basis of these information.

The relationship between the mass media and politicians is both dynamic and complicated. The media help politicians to approach the citizens. Media watch and report activities of Election Commission, political parties, law enforcers, individuals and groups during election period. But, who watches the activities of media? The matter is also related to the question of media's accountability to people as well as its responsibility as a 'watchdog'. In recent years there has been an increase in the number of civic groups undertaking election-period media monitoring in different countries though the practice is virtually new and to an extent unknown in Bangladesh.

Neutral representation of the election objectives is a striking feature of media reports during election time as many research studies show that many people specially the large number of undecided voters and first time voters take decisions as to whom he or she would vote on the basis of information in the media. Theorists suggest that media should portray the happening as accurately as possible so that voters go to the polls as much well informed as possible. In all this, the question may arise -- how liable the media is to the general standards of fairness? As part of the fairness of the election as a whole, this should be monitored whether the political parties and candidates participating in elections are enjoying unhindered access to the mass media during the campaign period and receiving fair coverage.

After the previous general elections, we witnessed allegations by leaders of losing party that media had played its role for a party instead of practicing its neutral role. So, the election-time media monitoring system should focus on -- how the media present the election to public? How biased (if) the media is to any quarter, any group or any party? How it is performing in educating people about the voting and helping people to take an informed decision about the candidates? The aim of media monitoring is not to control it, rather its main objective is to examine how well the media -- both print and electronic -- adhere to the journalistic standard of fairness and neutrality in election time. The findings of media monitors may influence the quality of media coverage while the government or the Election Commission may take note of the monitors' findings and try to make media coverage more fair and balanced.

We in Bangladesh are now on the brink of a 'media boom' when a number of private television channels and national newspapers, both Bangla and English have hit the market in the last few years (more precisely since the last election). These new satellite channels which present news and news based programmes in line with their regular entertainment programmes round the clock have enormous number of viewers with an immense impact. Apart from the state-run BTV, at present we have seven private satellite channels. Since the beginning of the broadcasting of television news by private television channels (with the ETV first), television news has emerged as authentic source to feed people's hunger for information in Bangladesh. News bulletins are among the most popular items of all private television channels. It can be predicted that the next general election is going to be held with heavy coverage by television channels.

According to the national media survey of 2002 (the latest one), only 24 percent of the village people were viewers of television programme in 1995. The number rose to 50 percent in 2002. The national level viewers increased to 61 percent in 2002, from 31 percent of 1995. The figure rose to 83 percent from 64 percent in the case of urban viewers in the meantime. With such increase in the number of television viewers in both urban and rural areas media monitors need to keep a close eye on the television channels during the election period.

In the media monitoring process, usually the emphasis is given on both quantitative and qualitative analysis. First it has to be the simplest, the least controversial and often has the greatest impact. It entails counting and measuring election coverage in the media -- number and length of items devoted to different parties (length in column inches in case of print and time in case of broadcast). The amount of coverage each party or candidate receives is usually the first criterion that will be looked into in order to evaluate allegations of biasness.

The qualitative analysis measures the quality of the coverage that parties and candidates receive. This applies primarily to news coverage. A qualitative evaluation scrutinises the language used and the message conveyed. The media monitoring groups can circulate their regular reports (it may be weekly) to all relevant stakeholders in the election: government, election commission, election observers, political parties, foreign diplomats and the media themselves.

In the 1980's presidential elections in the USA, a few days before the contest between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, most public opinion polls said that the race was too close to call. Two days before the election, news media played up a story that the American hostages being held in Iran might be released. As it turned out, they were not to. When the election results were known a few days later, Reagan had won an overwhelming victory. By playing up the story, the news media increased the public's awareness of Iranian hostage issue. For many members of the public, the hostage crisis might have moved from a low position on a list of issues that concerned them to a high position. Of course, it was very likely that raising the hostage issue on people's agenda would work against Carter, because many people might have regarded the crisis as one of the great failures of his administration.

The media have the power to directly influence the degree of ideological and organisational power that political institutions have. Such power should not go unchecked.

Shameem Mahmud is a Lecturer of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University.