Survey on the needs of Political Parties
On 8 October 2016, Georgia will hold parliamentary elections. An important element of free and competitive elections is a free media environment which enables political subjects (political parties and candidates) to fully use the capacity of media as a means of communication with voters.
A crucial importance of media in pre-election period is underscored in the EU Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation No. R (99) 15 on measures concerning media coverage of election campaigns;1 it defines basic standards for ensuring equal access to media for political parties and professional and ethical coverage by media.
The aim of this survey is to study, ahead of the elections, the needs of political parties and other actors in the efficient use of media as a tool of communication with electorate in the electoral process. Surveying attitudes of election subjects towards media, identifying their attitudes and needs and drawing up recommendations on the basis of the results of the survey will contribute to improved access to media for political subjects and ultimately, informed choice of voters.
The assessments provided in this paper reflect perceptios of political parties and do not represent either qualitative or quantitative analysis of media.
The introduction to this study describes the methodology applied in the survey, key findings of the survey and recommendations drawn up based on those findings; these are followed by results of the questionnaire, which are grouped into the following categories: 1. Media environment; 2. Ways of communicating with voters; 3. Comprehensive/incomprehensive media coverage; 4. Political affiliations; 5. Georgian Public Broadcaster; 6. Refusal to cooperate with media; 7. Cooperation on financial ground/ways of monitoring.
Transparent and Accountable Media for Strengthening Democratic Practice during Elections - newsletter #1
From April 1 the Media Development Foundation (MDF) will start its monitoring of the media coverage of parliamentary elections, involving the main TV news programs and online media.
The project aims at promoting impartial coverage of the 2016 parliamentary elections and creating a level playing field for all political parties. The project targets are: media organizations, journalists, non-governmental organizations, whose activities are focused on elections, and political parties.
The project is supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Georgia.