The Election period is a busy time for journalists; this is because the public rely upon new packages to educate them on the upcoming elections and party campaigns.
Broadcasters, they must be completely impartial when covering elections, giving all the major parties equal coverage, compared to newspapers which are allowed to be partial depending on whether they left or right wing.
To maintain impartiality, it is essential to keep an accurate log of party coverage, in keeping with the distribution across major and minor parties.
To maintain impartiality, it is essential to keep an accurate log of party coverage, in keeping with the distribution across major and minor parties.
The Representation of the People Act 1983 makes it a criminal offence to publish any false statements about election candidates. This refers back to the Phil Woolas case, who was thrown out of Parliament and the Labour Party after breaking electoral law. He made up damaging allegations about his general election opponent, implicating false statements. As journalists we should therefore be aware of this Act by constantly checking that all information broadcast or published is accurate and precise information.
There are dangers with reporting on elections; in particular it is important to be careful with opinion polls. Forming a poll helps to create a sense of how people are voting. With polls we have to understand that they are subject to error, and it is important to take into consideration how big the sample is, the time it was taken and the age range or social economic position of those involved in the poll. These factors are important as we do not want to give a false view of the parties.
An Exit poll is a survey taken when people are leaving the polling station to find out which party they voted for. It is a criminal offence to publish before a poll has closed any statement about how people have voted or a forecast of the election results. Rules follow that an exit poll can only be published after the polls have officially closed. It is legal to publish, at any time, opinion poll information on voting intentions which was gathered before voting began. This is because this information is not based on how people say they have actually voted. During the Eastleigh By-Election last year, WINOL carried out an exit poll at various different stations, which we broadcasted live after the 10pm cut off. Therefore this was legal.
News organisations can cover election periods in multiple ways, such as following campaign trails (providing that there is a balance of party coverage). Another way is a ‘question time’ style by bringing in guests to discuss party policies or covering profiles of certain candidates or areas.
On polling day you will see minimal reporting of policies from the campaigners and journalists, the main aim of the day is to urge the public to go out and vote.
An Exit poll is a survey taken when people are leaving the polling station to find out which party they voted for. It is a criminal offence to publish before a poll has closed any statement about how people have voted or a forecast of the election results. Rules follow that an exit poll can only be published after the polls have officially closed. It is legal to publish, at any time, opinion poll information on voting intentions which was gathered before voting began. This is because this information is not based on how people say they have actually voted. During the Eastleigh By-Election last year, WINOL carried out an exit poll at various different stations, which we broadcasted live after the 10pm cut off. Therefore this was legal.
News organisations can cover election periods in multiple ways, such as following campaign trails (providing that there is a balance of party coverage). Another way is a ‘question time’ style by bringing in guests to discuss party policies or covering profiles of certain candidates or areas.
On polling day you will see minimal reporting of policies from the campaigners and journalists, the main aim of the day is to urge the public to go out and vote.
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