The role of a reporter: To be au fait with the field
Election Coverage: It is not only essential for the reporters covering elections to understand the country’s electoral process, but also be familiar with electoral laws, know country’s election history, and understand media’s role in democratic elections.
So, Belinda Goldsmith, a trainer from Thomson Reuters Foundation, who has covered elections in about 12 countries, told Bhutanese reporters, who are gearing for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
“In a democratic election, a journalist is required to inform people of matters that are of public interest, give political parties and candidates the chance to get their message across, and act as a watchdog over government,” she said.
Belinda Goldsmith, who’s worked with Reuters for about 28 years, said the media should help voters prepare for the election, by providing adequate information about parties, candidates and policies they are offering, so that they could make an informed choice.
“The electoral management body also has a need to communicate information to voters and the parties,” she said, adding media was required to cater that.
Belinda Goldsmith said, while giving equal access to all parties and candidates, media should ensure the representation of views was balanced.
“Media should talk to the candidates and ask questions, and not just accept what they say on face value,” she said.
On highlighting the four guiding principles for a reporter, she said it was crucial to ensure accuracy, objectivity, honesty and fairness.
“Though complete objectivity is impossible, with practice, reporters can develop a high degree of objectivity,” she said, adding curiosity, news sense, perseverance, objectivity, skepticism and being comfortable with people were some of the essential qualities reporters should have.
But the overall election system here, she said, appeared good, sound and fair.
Belinda Goldsmith, originally from United Kingdom, said the fourth King had been very visionary, for seeing a need to have elections, while people had been slower to realise this was a good thing for the country.
Reporters from various media houses are being groomed to cover elections in a five-day workshop that started on May 14. It is organised by Bhutan Media Institute and Thomson Reuters Foundation.
By Thinley Zangmo in Kuensel