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U.N. Provides Election Guide for Media

► “Media & Elections: A Guide for Electoral Practitioners” available ◄

By Amber Mubeen

Professor Amber Mubeen of the University of Central Punjab pointed us to the following United Nations guide on election coverage.

From the guide, which is titled “Media & Elections: A Guide for Electoral Practitioners“:

Credible and inclusive elections are based on a number of basic democratic principles. These are affirmed in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Key among these are the rights to freedom of speech, access to information and equality before the law. These principles mean that the electorate and political actors have the right to freely discuss political issues and public policies and to express opinions.

Voters and candidates rely heavily on access to the media to both impart and receive information. This requires an open and diverse media that can provide balanced and impartial coverage and equitable access for competing candidates and parties.

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Opinion Polling and Surveys: Best Practices

► “Man on the Street” can’t accurately reflect voter views ◄

By Reporting Elections

Journalists are often tempted to do quick, informal “man on the street” or “vox pop” surveys to supposedly “take the pulse” of the electorate. They are easy to do and provide colorful content for broadcast, print or the Web.

The problem is these kinds of stories rarely provide accurate information about how majorities of voters really feel — whether we are considering a particular constituency or the nation as a whole.  This is because “vox pop” style reports do not provide a sample representative of all voters. They are limited by place, time and circumstance.

In order to do a survey that truly represents the broad cross-section of voters, journalists must use time-tested techniques.

The information and guidelines that follow are from the 2017 Walter Cronkite School of Journalism–Media Foundation 360 workshops that were conducted in Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi — as well as the subsequent Political Communication class taught at the Cronkite School in the fall of 2017.

Historically, the highest quality polling organizations in the world have been good at determining voter opinion and preferences at a given point in time, providing insights on what voters think about candidates and policies. In this regard, well-executed polls and surveys, that use widely accepted professional practices have been quite accurate.

(For a brief history of polls, check out this PBS story.)

How Sampling Works

A relatively small random sample of around 1,000 people can give a fairly accurate snapshot of what a larger, national population thinks. The larger the sample size, the lower the margin of error.  But beyond 1,000 the margin of error does not change drastically. That is why many national polls use a sample size of around 1,000 people.

For a sample to be truly representative of a larger population it has to be random — meaning the people in the sample were chosen randomly from a group that contains people with the characteristics of the larger population.  This is why a quick “man on the street” survey does not work.

Random sampling can be difficult in rural areas and where people do not have access to technologies like telephones or computers, but every effort should be made to get a truly randomized, representative sample.

Understanding Margin of Error

A margin of error of plus or minus 3 (+/- 3) is typical for a poll of around 1,000 people. That “plus or minus” is important – it essentially means any of the results can vary three percentage points in either direction.

So, a poll that shows Candidate Smith with 48 percent and Candidate Jones with 46 percent could mean that Candidate Smith’s “real” number could be as high as 51 or as low as 45, and Candidate Jones’s “real” number could be as high as 49 or as low as 43. A poll showing 48 to 46 could actually be 51 to 43.

On top of that, the margin of error for a candidate’s lead in a poll is even greater than the poll’s general margin of error. A good rule of thumb is that margin of error for a lead is twice that of the poll’s general margin of error. In a poll with a general margin of error of plus or minus 3 (+/- 3), a lead in which one could have confidence would be more than 6 percentage points.

Questions to Consider

Sheldon R. Gawiser, Ph.D., and G. Evans Witt, from the U.S. National Council on Public Polls have provided the following guide for journalists (and readers) when conducting your own poll or survey — or when evaluating polls or surveys that others have done.

]]> 417 https://reportingelections.org/2018/05/institute-of-communication-studies-at-pu-completes-media-politics-course/ Fri, 11 May 2018 12:56:39 +0000 https://reportingelections.org/?p=391  

PU’s ICS completes “Media & Politics” course

► Class covers Pakistan political history, election reporting ◄

By Naveed Iqbal Chaudhry

I taught a three-credit-hour course named “Media and Politics” to M.A. Communication Studies (morning and afternoon batches) during Winter Semester 2017-18 at the Institute of Communication Studies (I.C.S.), University of the Punjab, Lahore.

The total number of enrolled students in both morning and afternoon batches were 130. The course began in October 2017 and ended in March 2018. The designed syllabus of this course was divided into two major segments: political history of Pakistan and election reporting.

Until midterm exams, students were taught about political, electoral and constitutional history of Pakistan. They were given assignments, classroom activities and discussion time to critically analyze the democratic and dictatorial regimes in Pakistan.

From midterm onwards, they were taught about election reporting and the role of media in the process of transition and consolidation of democracy in Pakistan. They were assigned with various tasks regarding election reporting, monitoring and evaluation.

The course aimed at familiarizing students with political history and electoral system of Pakistan, as well as equipping them with election reporting skills. With the procedural development of the course, students were got more and more engaged with class room activities and open discussion sessions. The students were provided with handouts, research papers, books and list of important websites regarding the election reporting. I feel satisfied with the performance of my class and have found the course very interesting and motivating.

Following is the overview of the course, syllabus, study plan and examination procedures;

Course Introduction:

The course focuses on relationship of media with politics. It discusses the role of media in the process of democratization, functioning and performance of democracy and political issues of a state. It aims at familiarizing the students with political history and issues of Pakistan and training them as journalists to report electoral process, issues and controversies.

Course Objectives:

The course intends:

• To familiarize students with political structure, institutions, history and contemporary political issues of Pakistan.
• To critically discuss the functions, challenges and performance of democracy in Pakistan.
• To explore how international political scenario effects the political functioning in Pakistan.
• To train students for the reporting of electoral issues, election process, transparency of electoral results and process of government formation in Pakistan.

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this course students will be able;

• To understand various political systems around the world and status of democracy among these systems.
• To comprehend various state institutions, shape of democracy and issues of governance and political instability in Pakistan.
• To understand and evaluate electoral structure, electoral laws and electoral process of Pakistan.
• To recognize various essential roles of mass media in strengthening, monitoring and safeguarding democracy and democratic values in Pakistan.
• To report elections, cover political campaigns and analyze electoral controversies.

Syllabus:

• Major Political Systems and the role of Media in Politics
• Media and Democracies: Responsibilities, Functions and Challenges
• Media and Politics in Pakistan – The Historical Perspective: Ideology of Pakistan, Two nation Theory, Objective Resolution, Creation of Pakistan, Constitutional Developments in Pakistan, Role of Media in Democratic and Authoritative Regimes in Pakistan
• International Political Scenario: Developments after 9/11, War against Terrorism and Pakistan Media
• Media and Government: Electoral Process and System in Pakistan, Political Parties and their Background, Role of Media in Electoral Process, Democratic Transition and Media
• Media and Opinion Formation: Role of Electronic and Print Media in Rural and Urban Areas of Pakistan, Media as an Agent of Social Change and Political Awareness, Polling and Opinion Surveys
• Election Campaigns
• Reporting Elections
• Fact Checking after Elections and Formation of Government

Study Plan:

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U. of Gujrat offers “Media and Politics” course

► MPhil level class investigates media’s role in covering elections ◄

By Umair Nadeem

The University of Gujrat offers the course “Media and Politics” at the MPhil level to improve the understanding and knowledge of media’s role in covering elections.

The media pay considerable attention to elections, not for impartial or neutral reasons, but because the political power achieved through elections is ultimately a vitally important news story.

Communication theorists believe the flow of information about public life and interplay of opinion are the media’s most basic and vital functions. The media set agendas and have cognitive effects, influencing not what people think but what they think about.

Media decide which people and what issues will get the most coverage and which candidates will win endorsement.

Course Contents

The following is the course content:

• Study of political communication
• Media and political knowledge
• Contemporary political socialization
• Agenda-setting and agenda-building
• Framing
• Behind political news: Myths and realities
• Unpacking political news
• Political campaigns: Past and presents
• Persuasion and political campaigns
• Nominations and the news
• Political advertising
• Presidential debates

Objectives

The content of the course “Media and Politics” covers different dynamics of media, politics and reporting elections to get an in-depth understanding about media systems and the political structure of Pakistan and the United States.

The success of democracy depends so heavily on journalists exercising their constitutionally protected mission. It is important to understand how shifting journalistic perspectives can alter the facts that are deemed important, the ways in which fact is framed and frames come to be assumed, and the ways journalism facts and frames become the stories we tell each other and our children about the meaning our times.

This course covers the role of media to report different dimensions of elections. Focus is also on improving a student’s overall understanding about the media’s role in:

• Covering elections
• Basic investigative reporting skills (including constructing and testing a hypothesis)
• Interviewing
• Fact-checking
• Managing sources

This course covers the ethical use of social media tools (including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and other common platforms) to advance journalism.

Students discuss in presentations how social media is used in the election process by candidates and the media and why. The candidates, political operatives and especially public believe the media have a strong influence on elections and thus play a significant role in electing public officials from grass root to the Parliament/White House.

Case studies, critical analysis of print and electronic media, and some readings are integral part of this course for understanding and knowledge of the American election system. 

Conclusions

Dr. Zahid Yousaf, the chairperson for the Center for Media and Communication Studies, took concrete measures to incorporate the course contents for “Media and Politics.” Future plans include improving content to meet international professional standards.

Yousaf believes the success of democracy depends heavily on reporters transforming the raw stuff of experience into presumed fact and arranging facts into coherent stories. Reporters make sense out of politics.

Syllabus

Media and Politics(MCM-509)

Purposes

This class offers an understanding of intellectual history over the past century from a critical and cultural perspective. The literature in the area is wide, deep, and highly interdisciplinary. In this class the lens we use is after ways of making sense of media and politics.

Three goals: This class will

• provide a general “toolbox” overview of the way political communication works, including how one might think about research methods from this perspective
• read and discuss a combination of primary and secondary source material to develop a structure to the “waterfront” media and politics work
• make connections between theory, practice, and politics

Reflexivity You should subject the materials, backgrounds, and methods in this course to the same critical scrutiny that the theories and methods themselves employ when looking at media (…you ought to do this with every class and every part of your education anyway…).

In other words, screenings, readings, discussions, examples, etc. should neither be taken at face value, nor assigned the meaning that appears obvious and easy (…it never is, is it?…).  Nor should what I write or have to say, what the media says about itself, or what our friends and family have to add be given any special Instant Credibility.  You should never think like “the herd,” but you should also thoroughly understand how and why “the herd” thinks like it does.  These “herds” are often constructions of the media anyway.

Communication courses need to account for their own communication practices.  So do communication students. Why do we see certain practices as “good,” effective, and agree with them and others as “bad,” unprofessional, ineffective, and wrong?

Content Materials

Panoply of political communication, Political communication, Study of political communication,Media and political knowledge,Contemporary political socialization, Agenda setting, Agenda building,Framing,Behind political news:Myths and realities.Unpacking political news,Political campaigns past and presents,The main players in political campaigns,Nominations and the news, Persuasion and political campaigns, Political advertising, Presidential debates

Grades

Please note my expectations for grades:

A +  = 85%+ = your work is consistently outstanding

A   = 80%+ = your work has been consistently strong and occasionally outstanding

B  = 75%+ = your work has been done adequately, fulfilling average standards

MY MINIMUM STANDARD INCLUDES COMPLETING ALL ASSIGNED READING BEFORE THE SESSION WHERE IT IS DISCUSSED.

All discussions of grades must take place on a day after the one on which you received the grade.  This will give you time to consider carefully the reasons for the evaluation.

Assignments

50 – Final paper – You must meet with me to discuss the topic you want to propose and to get it approved.

25% Mid examination – which will include the content and reading material we use in class, a book of your choosing that you will read outside of class, and the research articles that you read

15% – presentations – submit a review to read and report on a topic, evaluating the argument and the way it fits into media and politics. This can be historically significant,

Media and Politics /Topic Schedule

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“Media, Politics and Reporting Elections” offered at UCP, Lahore

► University began offering courses for MPhil, PhD programs in March.

By Amber Mubeen

The Faculty of Media and Communication Studies (FMCS) at the University of Central Punjab, Lahore has introduced “Media, Politics and Reporting Elections” for its MPhil (Research and Professional Tracks) and PhD programs in March.

The main focus of this course is to share the different dynamics of media and politics to get an in-depth understanding about media systems and political structures of different countries, particularly Pakistan and the United States.

This course will also cover the different dimensions of elections and the role of media to report it. Focus will be on improving an overall understanding of the students about role of the media in covering elections, investigative reporting, report writing skills, use of social media tools and the practices of ethics while reporting.

Case studies, critical analysis of print and electronic media, and some readings will be a compulsory part of this course. Besides, different class activities will be arranged for the students to develop their analytical skills towards the course.

FMCS assistant professor Amber Mubeen is teaching the course for the MPhil program. For the PhD program, the course “Media and Politics” has sensitized the component of “Reporting Elections.” Senior professor Dr. Rasheed Ahmad Khan has a PhD in political science and contributes to various newspapers of Pakistan.

Students are excited to study this course as they find it a dire need of the time to explore the underlying relationship of media and politics.

FMCS will invite some professionals (who attended the workshop of Reporting Elections) to shed light on the said area. FMCS Dean and Professor Dr. Mughees Uddin Sheikh will also deliver one to two special lectures as a guest speaker. We will also request Arizona State University to have one to two Skype sessions with our students.