Media monitoring in Belarus: "Belarusian media coverage of the 2007 local elections"

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MEDIA MONITORING IN BELARUS: “BELARUSIAN MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE 2007 LOCAL ELECTIONS”

MAIN FINDINGS

Introduction

Summary of findings

Main findings

Media effects

Post elections' coverage

3.1. ELECTRONIC MEDIA

3.1.1. National Broadcasters

The monitoring conducted by BAJ showed that the State-owned 1 st National Channel ( BT1 ) did not treat the local elections as an important political event. In the six weeks preceding the elections, BT1 failed to present a number of important elections-related developments and issues, including the activities of candidates and observers.

The media monitoring results (from 4 th December 2006 till January 14 th 2007) indicate that BT1 dedicated only 4 percent of its prime time news coverage [In the framework of the main news program called Panorama] to elections-related issues. By comparison, 42 percent of such coverage was devoted to other political issues and foreign news. The remaining 54 percent of the Panorama news programme went to social issues, sport, weather forecasts etc.

Instead of increasing the coverage of elections-related issues, especially when candidates started their campaign related activities, BT1 , in its prime time news programme Panorama , decreased its time devoted to the elections from 5 percent (in the first monitoring period) to only 3,9 percent (in the second monitoring period). The only exception to this general trend of minimizing the coverage of the elections-related topics was an increase in the coverage of the opposition during the last week before the election day (the opposition was allotted 20 per cent of the Panorama 's election and political coverage). This coverage, however, was exclusively negative in tone and as such, the coverage was clearly aimed at discrediting the opposition.

On the other hand, the coverage of election administration significantly decreased in the last days prior to Election Day. By contrast, t he incumbent President was given as much as 76 percent of the BT1 's prime time political and elections news coverage, all of which was either positive or neutral in tone.

In addition, the State-funded broadcaster demonstrated a consistent pattern of completely ignoring various events, including the electoral campaigns conducted by candidates. BT1 did not organize any televised debates, programs aimed at analysing the candidate's platforms, nor did it create any platforms for expression of any different political views or platforms existent in the Belarusian society. As for the election observers, their coverage totalled 8 seconds.

The national State-owned radio BR1 adopted a similar approach in its Radiofact news program by allocating only 3 percent of its total time to the elections-related topics. The incumbent President's share of the news coverage devoted political and elections related topics increased from 22 percent (in the first monitoring period) to 70 percent (in the second monitoring period). In total, the President received some 50 percent of the elections-related and political prime time news coverage.

The qualitative analysis revealed similar trends as on BT1 . The President and the Central Election Commission (CEC) received mainly positive or neutral coverage, whereas the opposition was either ignored or sharply criticized.

In conclusion, the State-owned national broadcasters devoted the bulk of their coverage to the activities of the President and the election administration. By contrast, the State-funded broadcasters failed to cover an important part of the election process — election contestants.

3.1.2. Regional Broadcasters

In its regional news programs, BT1 also provided limited coverage of the entire electoral process. While the regional broadcasters allotted more time to the elections-related topics and issues than the national ones, it was mainly to cover the activities of the regional, district and city-level election commissions. Viciebsk BT1 , for example, allocated 21 percent of its prime time news coverage to different level election commissions. As for the coverage of candidates and observers, similarly as the nationwide broadcasters, the regional ones also largely ignored them. There were no programs allowing the voters to ask questions or offer their comments on the elections either.

The regional BT1 's news programs devoted the bulk of their coverage to the local authorities. TV Homiel , for example, gave almost 82 percent of its news programs to cover the activities of the local state administration. The other BT1 regional channels adopted a similar approach.

Similarly, the regional State-owned radio stations showed a similar pattern of time allocation as the regional TV channels. For example, Express-Homiel Wave FM station dedicated 7 percent of its news programs time to elections. Once again, the biggest portion of the station's news coverage went to local authorities (86%). The next most covered subject was President (9%), followed by the election administration (5%).

Such coverage demonstrates that the aim of the regional State-owned broadcasters was to present the election process to be mainly connected with the work of election administration and not as a competition amongst candidates.

As for the monitored non-state local TV stations, none of them demonstrated any real interest in the elections, showing even more limited coverage than the regional State-owned broadcasters. TV Skif (Viciebsk), for example, allocated 1 percent of its news programs to the elections. Another local non-state TV channels, Nireja (Homiel) and Intex TV (Baranaviczy), devoted to elections 2 percent and 3 percent respectively. By comparison, 2 nd Channel (Mahilou city TV) dedicated 4 percent of its news coverage to the election process. The elections-related topics covered by these stations mainly comprised of official information dedicated to the activities of different-level elections commissions. In sharp contrast, 8 th Channel (local Minsk TV station) and Skif (Barysau) did not bring any information about the election process at all.

Local authorities were the most covered subject on the non-state regional broadcasters' news programs. This coverage was mainly positive and neutral.

3.2. DIRECT ACCESS

The CEC resolution n. 66 of 26 October 2006 provides for allocation of 5 minutes of free broadcast time on regional branches of the National TV and Radio Company . More specifically, according to the resolution, the allocation only concerns local wire radio, through which the national radio broadcaster BR1 transmits most of its regional programs. No other State-owned media outlets are under this obligation.

The wire radio, a relict preserved from the old Soviet times with no FM broadcasting, covers a very narrow audience of villagers and small towns' dwellers. In addition, the candidates' platforms were aired either from 8.00 to 8.30 a.m. or from 6.00 till 6.30 p.m. The ones broadcast in the morning did not fall into the so-called “prime time” category when most people could listen to them. As such, a significant part of audience did not have a real opportunity to get familiar with the candidates' presentations; especially voters in the cities and urban areas were fairly limited in their ability to receive the information.

Moreover, the order of the candidates' appearances was not published in the local newspapers. As such, the majority of voters was not informed about the candidates' electoral platforms and at times did not even know the contestants at all. The CEC chairman, Mrs. Yarmoshina, indirectly confirmed this situation in her interview with the 1 st National TV Channel ( Panorama news program, January 9, 2007), when she recommended to the voters to visit polling stations in order to get the information on candidates.

The limited format of direct access programs did not allow candidates to address large audiences, thus further preventing them from properly introducing their election and political platforms. The CEC should have done more to enable the candidates' platforms at least through the direct access programs.

3.3. PRINT MEDIA

The monitored State-owned national and regional press did not substitute for the lack of elections-related coverage by the State-owned electronic media.

Sovetskaja Belorussia (SB), the daily sponsored by the Presidential administration, devoted almost 84 percent of its political coverage to the incumbent President, 9 percent to the CEC and 7 percent to local authorities. No other political subjects pertaining to the elections were presented. Moreover, no space was given to any discussion regarding the elections issues and there was no special coverage devoted to different political forces, such as analysis of their election platforms or paid political ads.

Zviazda , another national State-owned daily, offered its readers a bit more diverse coverage of the political and elections-related issues. Unlike SB, Zviazda gave more coverage to local authorities (38 percent) and less to the President (37 percent). A significant space was devoted to different levels of election administration (24 percent). However, Zviazda also failed to cover candidates and their campaigns. Unlike SB, it depicted the opposition as a non-personified subject. The tone of the coverage was exclusively negative. Similarly as SB, the non-state daily with the largest circulation, Komsomolskaya Pravda , also gave the bulk of its political and election coverage to President Lukashenka. However, unlike SB , Komsomolskaya Pravda gave him roughly equal proportions of positive and negative coverage.

Similarly as the regional TV channels, regional State-owned newspapers gave the biggest portion of space to the coverage of local authorities (at times amounting to 80 percent). Conversely, neither political platforms and candidates' campaigns nor election observers received any meaningful coverage. By marginalizing or ignoring some important subjects and issues, the State-owned regional press did not present the electoral process in a balanced and objective way.

The coverage of state officials, including local authorities and different levels of election administration, was overwhelmingly positive in tone. When opponents of the regime were mentioned, it was exclusively in negative terms.

While even the pro-regime candidates did not receive any significant coverage, they still had an extra advantage given the bias coverage of the State officials, both in tone and space. The State-funded newspapers failed to provide adequate and objective information about election contestants, thus making it difficult for the voters to make a well-informed and intelligent choice at the ballot box.

The monitored non-State regional newspapers attempted to give a more diverse and balanced picture of the election process. In general, however, these newspapers remained restrained in the presentation of opposition candidates and their campaigns, fearing possible repercussions. Nonetheless, Intex-press (Brest), for example, provided some coverage of the opposition and opposition candidates (all together 47 percent), which was exclusively positive in tone. As such, the non-State regional press could not substitute for the general lack of impartial and objective coverage by the State owned media.

Summary of findings

Main findings

Media effects