Adherence to the Guidelines Stakeholders Commitment

NAME INSTITUTION SIGNATURE

ANDERSON WAWERU

MEDIAMAX COMMUNITY RADIO ASSOCIATION OF KENYA (CRAK) ROYAL MEDIA SERVICES

DOREEN RUKARIA

FARIDA KARONEY

JOHN BUNDOTICH

STANDARD GROUP

JOSEPH ODINDO

NATION MEDIA GROUP

JULIUS MAINA

NATION MEDIA GROUP

LINUS GITAHI

NATION MEDIA GROUP

MACHARIA GAITHO

KENYA EDITORS GUILD

MAINA MUIRURI

MEDIAMAX

MARTIN MASAI

ALTERNATIVE MEDIA NETWORK (AMNET)

Guidelines for Election Coverage

MICHEAL MUMO

CAPITAL GROUP LTD

NJUKI GITHETWA

KENYA COMMUNITY MEDIA NETWORK (KCOMNET)

OLEWE OWITI JOSEPH

KENYA NEWS AGENCY

OMWA OMBARA

MEDIA LIASON AND ADVOCACY CONSULTANT

OWINO JULIUS - MAJIMAJI

GHETTO RADIO

PATRICK KONGOTI

IMANI RADIO AND TV MINISTRIES

PAUL WANYAGAH

MEDIAMAX

VICTOR OTIENO JUMA

RADIO NAM LOLWE

WAITHAKA WAIHENYA

KENYA BROADCASTING CORPORATION KENYA CORRESPONDENTS ASSOCIATION

WILLIAM OLOO JANAK

WILLIAM PIKE

RADIO AFRICA

Guidelines for Election Coverage 3

CONTENTS Acknowledgement Preamble Summary of the guidelines 1. Editorial principles

q q q q Media and the voter Media and the candidates Media and the nation Values Integrity Knowledge Skills and tools Safety

2.

Journalists Rights and Responsibilities

q q q q

3.

Harm and offence

q q q q Hate speech Language Taste and decency Gender balanced election coverage

4.

Content and formats

q q q q q Social media State media Opinion polls Phone-ins and talk shows Political advertising

5.

Implementing the guidelines

q Editorial codes/Station guides q Complaints q Media monitoring

Guidelines for Election Coverage

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to thank the Editors Guild, Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ), Kenya Correspondents Association, Media Owners Association (MOA) and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), for their contribution in developing these election coverage guidelines. Special thanks goes to Internews for their support in publishing the guidelines. We would also like to acknowledge the contribution of the following Media houses and organisations in the development of the guidelines, particularly during the stakeholders forum: the Nation Media Group, the Standard Group, Article 19 and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC). Finally, we wish to thank the following international organisations, from whose guidelines we have borrowed: the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, African Centre for Media Excellence, International Centre for Journalists (ICJ) and Media Monitoring to promote democratic Elections (National Democratic Institute), International Media Support and UNESCO.

The Media Council of Kenya April, 2012

Guidelines for Election Coverage

Preamble
We editors, journalists, practitioners, media owners and managers, Recognising the importance of general elections, Guided by the desire to facilitate a free, fair and democratic election
process,

Aware that our Constitution provides for freedom and

independence of all types of media; and guarantees all citizens the right to freedom of expression, which includes freedom to seek, receive or impart information or ideas,

Acknowledging that media freedoms come with

responsibilities,

Determined to assist voters make informed choices, Resolve to adopt and abide by the following guidelines
during the coverage of the General Election:

Guidelines for Election Coverage

Summary of the guidelines

These guidelines are the result of an on-going collaborative effort between the media and various organisations that have a stake in ensuring the smooth running of a credible, peaceful and democratic general election and its proper coverage by the media. They include: the IEBC, NCIC, KUJ, the Editors Guild of Kenya, the Kenya Correspondents Association and Internews. The guidelines were compiled following contributions from key stakeholders, which culminated in a three-day workshop to discuss and finalise the document a process facilitated by the Media Council of Kenya. The guidelines reflect existing codes of conduct and the requirements of the new Constitution. The booklets arrangement is simple and logical for ease of reference by media professionals covering the elections. The guidelines cover a wide range of issues, which include:

q q q q q q q q

Balance and fairness Corruption (as it affects journalists) Gender balance and diversity of voices Conflict-sensitive journalism Opinion polls Equitable coverage Voter education Phone-ins

The guidelines are aimed at helping journalists to provide comprehensive, accurate, impartial, balanced and fair coverage of the elections, thus enabling the voter to make informed choices. The guidelines will apply to all media houses whether private, or State-owned as well as the authorities involved in or policing the electoral process and, that have voluntarily adopted them.

Guidelines for Election Coverage

EDITORIAL PRINCIPLES
At the heart of every election are three interlocking sets of rights:

q The right of the voters to make a fully informed choice; q The right of the candidates to put their policies across; and q The right of the media to freely report and express their views on
matters of public interest.

1. Media and the voter

Duty to the voter The role of the media in an election is to ensure that the citizen is empowered to make an informed choice. The media, therefore, have a duty to provide election coverage that gives the voter sufficient, accurate and reliable information and knowledge on all-important electoral matters. These include voting, campaign issues, political parties and candidates. This information will also help to ensure that the voters know and understand their right to exercise their democratic duty free from fear, intimidation or coercion.

2. Media and the candidates

Duty to the candidate The media must maintain a balanced and impartial coverage of the election, which means they must not favour or show bias against any party or candidate. The media should be able to demonstrate that the main parties or candidates vying for office are given equitable opportunities to be heard or questioned and, that minor parties or candidates are not treated unfairly. Fair and balanced coverage also means that individual stories, and their pattern over a period of time reflect the views of different parties or candidates.

3. Media and the nation

Duty to the nation Media houses are corporate citizens of Kenya; they have a stake in the future and wellbeing of the nation. There is need, therefore, for the media to
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Guidelines for Election Coverage

use the opportunity offered by the elections to work for unity and, prevent or reduce conflict and polarisation by promoting the rule of law. Similarly, the media should establish in-house structures and mechanisms of overcoming internal conflict that could negatively influence or compromise election coverage. The media has a duty to reflect a diversity of voice in its coverage, including minorities and marginalised communities. The reporting should be gender-balanced, treating women and men equally as news subjects and news sources.

4. Values
In covering the elections, the media must at all times observe the core values and principles of journalism: q Accuracy The media must ensure that their election reports are factual, accurate, well sourced and based on sound evidence. q Impartiality The media should produce fair and balanced reports, reflecting a breadth and diversity of opinion that ensures no significant strand of thought is missing or under-represented. q Sourcing The media have an obligation to the people they report about and to the society they report to. The journalist should, therefore, protect confidential sources of information. However, they must not use the cover of unnamed sources to hide personal opinions. q News coverage Editorial opinion must be clearly distinguished from news to avoid the danger of misleading audiences. q Right of reply A fair opportunity to reply to inaccuracies contained in a report that has been broadcast or published should be given to aggrieved individuals or organisations. The right of reply must be given within at least 24 hours in a programme of similar weight and audience or space of similar prominence.

Guidelines for Election Coverage

JOURNALISTS RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

5. Integrity
Borrowing a leaf from Chapter Six of the Constitution of Kenya, journalists should strive to exercise their duties in a manner that is consistent with the rule of law. They should also demonstrate respect for the people, bring dignity to the profession and promote public confidence in the integrity of the profession. This means that a good journalist: q Is not for sale; q Does not accept bribes; q Does not give special favours to any politician or party; q Does not produce reports skewed towards personal, party, ethnic or religious positions; q Does not defame or promote hate, malice or corruption; and q Does not release unofficial or unverified election results.

6. Knowledge, skills and tools

For proper, effective and professional election coverage, the media must ensure they are equipped with appropriate tools and skills, which include relevant training. It is the responsibility of the individual journalist to ensure that he or she is familiar with electoral legislation and regulations, and new voting procedures. With a new electoral system under a new constitution, it is critical for the journalist to be fully conversant with all aspects of the process to help the voter make informed choices. On the other hand, the media have the right to expect that authorities will: q Ensure media can operate in an environment free of violence and intimidation;

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Guidelines for Election Coverage

q Punish attacks against media personnel and property; q Take necessary measures to prevent electoral malpractice, fraud or q
ballot rigging; and Arrange fair, open counting and tallying of the vote and, timely release of the results. The media expect to have a good working relationship with the IEBC at this crucial stage in the process.

7. Safety
A journalist, like any other citizen, has the right to carry out his or her work without fear of intimidation, harassment or attacks. In recent times, there have been increased reports of cases of abduction and violence against journalists and media personnel in East Africa, a situation that gets worse during elections. Steps should be taken to minimise threats to and protect the safety of journalists. It is also expected that: q Journalists should receive safety training to enable to them carry out their work. q Before deploying to a hostile environment, journalists should always assess the risk and analyse threat management. q A journalist exposed to traumatic situations should be counseled. q The journalist should conduct his or her duties responsibly with due regard to his or her own safety and that of the people he is working with, such as interviewees or sources. q Media houses should maintain regular communication with journalists in tense or conflict areas and have a clear exit plan.

HARM AND OFFENCE

8. Hate Speech
Article 33 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, but states that this freedom does not extend to: q War propaganda; q Incitement to violence; q Hate speech; and q Advocacy of hatred that constitutes ethnic incitement, vilification of others or incitement to cause harm. This simply means that in exercising their freedom of expression, journalists shall respect the rights, integrity and reputation of others.

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Defining hate speech

The National Cohesion and Integration Act, 2008, has a detailed explanation of what constitutes hate speech and imposes a fine of one million shillings, or six months imprisonment or both, on anyone (e.g. individual journalist or media house) found guilty of an offence under the hate speech section (13) of the Act. The media have developed and agreed on this simplified definition of hate speech: Hate speech is any form of communication that disparages, degrades, dehumanises and/or demeans individuals or a group by promoting hatred and encouraging violence against an individual or group on the basis of factors including, but not limited to religion, race, colour, ethnicity, gender, age, political and/or any other opinion, national or any other social origin. (Source: Governance Forum: Media Checklist on Hate Speech, 2011) Hate speech is a relatively new offence in Kenya, hence jurisprudence on it has not been developed. Reference is, therefore, made to the experiences of courts in other jurisdictions. Some examples include:

Incitement doesnt always have to call people to take action q In the case of Prosecutor v Ferdinand Nahimana, JeanBosco Barayagwiza and Hassan Ngeze, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) observed that speech constituting ethnic hatred resulted from stereotyping of ethnic groups, combined with denigration. After examining the tone of a broadcast that stated about the Tutsi that they are the ones with all the money, the court observed, inter alia, that while this broadcast did not call on listeners to take action of any kind, it demonstrated the progression from ethnic consciousness to harmful ethnic stereotyping.

Subtle or ambiguous messages can still be harmful q In the case of Prosecutor v Akayesu, the
court observed that: In light of the culture of Rwanda, acts of incitement can be viewed as direct or not, by focusing mainly on the issue of whether the
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Guidelines for Election Coverage

persons for whom the message was intended immediately grasped the implication thereof. The ICTR further observed that culture, including the nuances of the Kinyarwanda language, were important in determining what constitutes direct and public incitement to commit genocide. The principal consideration is the meaning of the words used in a specific context: it does not matter that the message may appear ambiguous to another audience or in another context.

Identifying hate speech Hate crimes in Kenya tend to be fuelled by the following: q Stereotypes, particularly cultural; q Hate-filled speeches, especially at political rallies; and q Political advertisements. Main characteristics of hate speech
The statement should contain: q Threatening, abusive or insulting messages, sometimes using coded language. q Messages targeted at a group to stir hatred on the basis of race, colour, nationality, ethnicity or other national origin.

9. Language
Elections by their nature are polarising and the whole electioneering process is highly emotive. As a result, conflicts can and do arise and, the media are often blamed for fanning the flames through the language and images they choose to use. The media have a responsibility to their audiences and the society: the principles of conflictsensitive journalism should guide their reporting. In situations of social or violent conflict, the media should: q Engage in accurate and constructive reporting; q Be well informed about the conflict causes and dynamics; q Use language carefully and avoid emotional or imprecise words to help reduce tension between parties. Do not minimise suffering but choose words carefully; q Avoid making an opinion into a fact; q Help people make sense of events by providing context and impartial analysis, and by offering a wide range of views and opinions;

Guidelines for Election Coverage

13

q Not define the conflict by always quoting leaders who make familiar
demands. Go beyond the elites. Report the words of ordinary people who may voice the opinions shared by many;

q Make citizens better informed, and possibly safer, by also reporting

on efforts to promote conflict reduction;

q Be engaged in the search for solutions; q Avoid putting individuals at risk of unnecessary distress or harm; q Adopt a sensitive tone to the emotions and fears of the audience
on matters involving risk to and loss of life as well as human suffering or distress; q Respect human dignity without sanitising the realities of violent conflict. There must be clear editorial justification for the use of graphic images. A journalists work should be informed by ongoing reflection on how his or her reporting can impact positively or negatively on conflict. Talk show hosts need to pay particular attention to the import of their words. During election time, a presenters reference to our people or our community could send out a dangerous or unintended message to audiences who are not from the talk show hosts community. The presenter should also be ready to challenge or stop any contributor or caller who makes insensitive or inflammatory comments on the show.

10. Taste and decency

In general, the media should not broadcast or publish obscene, vulgar or offensive material, unless there is a clear editorial justification news value of public interest. Audiences, particularly children, can be frightened or distressed by the portrayal of violence or other graphic images on the screen. Television stations must, therefore, exercise great care in their scheduling of such election-related material. In cases involving personal grief or shock, inquiries should be made with sensitivity and discretion.

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Guidelines for Election Coverage

The rules of privacy apply to election coverage. The publics right to know is often weighed against the privacy of people in the news. A journalist must stick to the issues.

11. Gender balanced election coverage,

Recent media monitoring reflects significant improvements in the coverage accorded to women in terms of balance, and quantity of space allocated. The code of conduct and practice of journalism in Kenya states that: Women and men should be treated equally as news subjects and news sources. In Case Studies of Women and Political leadership in Kenya (Kamau, 2010) only politician Ruth Oniango did not see media as a challenge. As long as one talks in an informed way, the media will actually seek you out, she says. Gender balanced reporting requires that:

q Media ensures an event or issue is told through the voices of

both women and men;

q Journalists and editors seek and use voices of both gender; q Data be disaggregated by sex; q Journalists and editors ensure background information (context) and
analysis reflect the perspectives of both women and men. When covering elections from a gender perspective, the media should:

q Ask the right questions that probe beyond what is taken for granted; q Check whether the nation is signatory to international and regional
instruments that commit it to increasing the percentage of women running for and holding political office. If not, why? If women are participating in large numbers, why? Ascertain if electoral system(s) for presidential, parliamentary and local government polls help or hinder womens entry into political office. Analyse trends (if any) in female candidates standing for elections and women holding political office, using accurate and verifiable data to support the analysis. Examine the factors that keep women from becoming candidates and/ or holding political office.

q q q

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Other questions include:

q Does media coverage contain only the voices of men? q Do these men represent diversity in terms of status (race, class, etc.) q q
or are they primarily men in positions of prominence, power or formal authority? Have the views of women political candidates, women voters and women experts, been captured in news reports, news analyses and other forms of reporting on elections? Does the coverage rely on one sex or only a few voices based on the assumption that these speak on behalf of the majority?

Portrayal of women and the language used in the media are critical. In covering elections, journalists must answer the following questions:

q Does the story contain language that promotes sexism, q q

gender bias or discrimination, or gender stereotypes? Does the language hype or sensationalize the situation beyond what has actually happened in order to sell the news and attract audiences? Do any of the adjectives used to describe the character or physical appearance of women politicians or candidates convey prejudice?

CONTENT AND FORMATS

12. Social media
Social media is continuing to play a major role in journalism and will be an important feature in election coverage. However, the same core principles of journalism as practised in traditional media print and broadcasting should apply to social media journalism. Individual media houses have specific social media policies for their journalists. Here are some general guidelines: q Sources: The journalist must always verify and corroborate the sources of information. q Accuracy: The information or stories published must be accurate.
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Guidelines for Election Coverage

q Your personal activity: Even though you act in your own private capacity
Online in your blog, Twitter or Facebook communication anyone seeing what you write will still identify you with your media house. Think carefully about what you publish. q Opinion: Make it very clear that the views you express are personal and not those of your media house. q Political stand: Dont state your political preferences as this could compromise your impartiality in your official reporting capacity q Twitter: a) Twits should be cleared as soon as they are received. This helps is controlling the snowballing of hate contributions. b) After giving a platform to users to twit, the media should take responsibility for the content posted on their platform. q Breaking news: Be clear what the policy of your media house is before you break news privately on the web ahead of your own media house. In summary, dont be seduced by the informality of social media to compromise your integrity as a professional journalist.

13. State media

Both private and State media, including the Kenya News Agency (KNA) and the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), have a duty, during the election period, to inform the public about the entire electioneering process, highlighting key issues and educating the voters. This is in line with KBCs statutory role to conduct broadcasting services with impartial attention to the interests and susceptibilities of the different communities in Kenya. As a public service broadcaster, KBC has a duty to keep a fair balance in all respects in the allocation of broadcasting hours to reflect different political viewpoints. The law further requires that KBC should, in consultation with the IEBC, during the campaign period preceding any presidential, parliamentary or local government election, allocate free air time to registered political parties participating in the election to expound their policies. As a public media house, KBC has a responsibility to educate voters and keep them informed through the electoral process. Its election-related programmes must reach the greatest number possible of voters. They should, especially, target groups that traditionally may have been excluded from the political process, such as ethnic or religious minorities and women.
Guidelines for Election Coverage
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The programmes must be accurate and impartial and must effectively inform voters about the voting process, including how, when and where to vote, register to vote and verify proper registration, the secrecy of the ballot (and thus safety from retaliation) and, the importance of voting.

14. Opinion polls

Properly conducted and disseminated opinion poll results give the public an opportunity to be heard. Through opinion researches, the public, politicians, the media and other interested groups have access to accurate measures of public attitudes and intentions. Media reporting the results of such polls also tell audiences that their views are important. In Kenya, however, since the media started publishing opinion poll results, debate has followed every finding. Politicians and social scientists accuse research organisations of playing to the tune of the poll funders to manipulate results. Some are determined to formulate legislation to control the operations of opinion poll companies. This confirms that the media must take great care when quoting opinion poll results on the probable outcome of an election. The media must, according to the World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR), understand the appropriate forms of publishing poll results. Journalists and media houses should thoroughly interrogate each and every opinion survey results. Some of the basic information that they should look into includes: 1. Who commissioned the survey? 2. Who paid for it? 3. Why was the survey commissioned? 4. Who conducted the survey? 5. What geographical areas were covered? 6. How big was the population sample? 7. What was the response and non-response rate? 8. What sampling methods were used? 9. What kinds of questions were asked? 10. What calibre of staff was involved in the sample gathering? 11. Over what period was the survey conducted? 12. What was the margin of error? 13. What were the results?
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Guidelines for Election Coverage

If editors fail to answer these 13 questions when analysing an opinion poll, then the methodology of this poll cannot be trusted. And if a poll appears to have been conducted using dubious methodology, its outcome should receive no mention in the media or should be seriously challenged.

Advice to journalists reporting on opinion polls: q Lighten up on the horse race.

Opinion polls and media releases of major candidates focus on the horse race especially the final two months of the campaign. Dont be fixated on a story: voting intentions are not the only thing that matters. Do not neglect to give voters what they want/need to help them decide for whom they vote. q When any public opinion findings are published in newspapers, these should be accompanied by a clear statement of the: a) Name of the research organisation carrying out the survey; b) Universe effectively represented (i.e. who was interviewed); c) Achieved sample size and its geographical coverage; d) Dates of field work; e) Sampling method used; f) Method by which the information was collected (personal, telephone interview etc); and g) Relevant question(s) asked. To avoid possible ambiguity, the actual wording of the question should be given. Print journalists may use a data box to inform their readers on the above. In case of broadcast media, it may not be possible to give information on all these points. Therefore, cover as a minimum points (a) through (d) above. Television journalists can use visuals to cover these points.

q Make clear which group of voters is being measured: voters, registered voters, q In the case of voting intentions surveys, it must always be made clear if voting q q
percentages include any of these respondents who answered I dont know or I will not vote. They can significantly affect the findings. Always report polls within a context. Precisely when was the fieldwork conducted? If it was conducted before or after a significant event, that may affect the results. Beware of analysts who seek to predict the election based on a poll. A polls ability to predict is limited because 1) at least 10 per cent of all voters make up their mind on the voting day, 2) contemporary campaigns are designed to move voters late in the campaign. Distinguish between poll findings and a pollsters interpretation of poll results.
Guidelines for Election Coverage
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probable voters, etc.

Radio/TV instant polls

With the increase in the use of mobile phones, radio and TV broadcasters conduct opinion polls during news bulletins, using text messages (SMS) sent by the audience, and giving immediate results of the poll at the end of the programme. Such a practice can be misleading as it contravenes the basic rules of scientific methodology and analysis. Results from SMS polls should not be treated as representative scientific results. If broadcasters still want to use them, they should at least indicate the number of respondents while sharing the results, and carefully select representative responses. If an SMS poll has less than 1,000 respondents, broadcasters or publishers should inform the audience that it is not scientific, and the conclusions not valid and reliable.

15. Phone-ins and talk shows

Phone-ins and talk shows are very popular radio and TV programme formats, which allow the audience to engage with the programme in different ways from voting for contestants in a show, to taking part in a competition. These types of programmes provide the viewer or listener with an opportunity to be heard, to participate and sometimes to create content. However, these programmes have in the past been abused, leading to a large number of complaints sent to the Complaints Commission of the Media Council. Many of the complaints are about live morning radio talk shows that deal mainly with sex and relationships in flippant and irresponsible ways. During election seasons, opening up the airwaves irresponsibly without professional oversight can be dangerous. A Kenyan radio show host is to face full trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague. Unlike newspaper copy, which is checked by a succession of editors and, objectionable content removed before it goes to press, live radio and TV pose a real challenge. Live broadcasts cannot be checked in this way. Presenters, therefore, in the absence of an editor or programme producer, must become their own editors and must be acutely aware of the sort of content that should not be aired or should be
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Guidelines for Election Coverage

challenged. This includes hate speech, ethnic baiting, lies and propaganda, crude and vulgar language, incitement to violence, and unverified information. Guidelines to presenters and producers of phone-ins and talk shows q Journalistic principles must apply to the programme. q The presenter must understand the basic rudiments of journalism. q The presenter must be familiar with and abide by the Election Reporting Guidelines and relevant legal requirements. q The presenter or editor must be alert and prepared to challenge or cut off a caller who breaches the guidelines or the law, especially on hate speech. q Callers should not come on-air and expect to comment on a given topic unchallenged. q Presenters should prepare for the unexpected, such as a caller who comes on air and smears or libels someone. The caller should be challenged or stopped. q Treat your viewers, listeners and callers with respect, honesty and fairness. q Respect the privacy of callers and safeguard their personal information. q Install and use time-delay technology or other mechanism to filter out offensive content or calls prior to broadcast.

16. Political advertising

Media houses should clearly identify all advertorials or political advertising to distinguish them from editorial content. Where the media house gives political parties time slots to air programmes setting out their policies to voters, the content of the programmes will primarily be the responsibility of the party. However, the broadcaster remains responsible for the broadcast as publisher and requires the parties to observe proper standards of legality, accuracy, taste and decency.

IMPLEMENTING THE GUIDELINES

17. Editorial guides/station policies
To effectively implement these guidelines, media houses will: q Develop editorial codes and policies or review existing ones using these guidelines as minimum standards. q Publish these guidelines and any other internal codes to ensure awareness by all and to help the public monitor performance and hold the media accountable. q Ensure proper planning and resource allocation for election coverage.
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q Ensure staff is adequately trained to fulfill their obligations as

required by these guidelines.

18. Complaints
During election periods, the need for quick resolution of complaints is pertinent. In addition to media houses established internal complaints handling procedures, the Complaints Commission of the Media Council of Kenya should give priority to elections-related complaints from the public. The resolutions should immediately be communicated to the media houses and network of other media stakeholders.

19. Media monitoring

Media houses should have their own internal mechanism to monitor their performance. Broadcasters should keep recordings of all broadcasts during the election for a period of 90 days. Online publishers should keep a record of their text-based election content for 60 days after the polls. The Media Council of Kenya will monitor the performance of the media houses in terms of adherence to the Code of Conduct and equitable and fair reporting for all parties and candidates. It will provide monthly reports containing the major findings. The media should be prepared to rectify negative trends of performance identified after analysis of the monitoring and evaluation process.

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Guidelines for Election Coverage

REFERENCES
African Centre for Media Excellence: Guidelines for Media Coverage of Elections in Uganda, 2011 ARTICLE 19: Guidelines for Election Broadcasting in Transitional Democracies BBC Editorial Guidelines, 2010 Commonwealth Broadcasting Association: Commonwealth Election Broadcasting Guidelines Commonwealth Broadcasting Association and Mary Reine: Covering Elections in Small States Guidelines for Broadcasters, 2008 Constitution of Kenya: Laws of Kenya 2010 Governance Forum/Amkeni Wakenya: Media Checklist on Hate Speech, 2011 Guidelines for Election Coverage: MCK Stakeholders workshop, Naivasha, March 2012 Impacs: Media + Elections, An Election Reporting Handbook, 2004 International Centre for Journalists: Free and Fair A Journalists Guide to Improved Election Reporting in Ghana International Media Support/Ross Howard: Conflict Sensitive Journalism, 2003 Media Council of Kenya: Code of Conduct and Practice of Journalism in Kenya (2nd Edition), 2007 Media Council of Kenya: Guidelines for Election Coverage in Kenya, 2007 Media Council of Tanzania: Code of Ethics for Media Professionals UNESCO: Guidelines for Coverage of Elections in Lesotho, 2010

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