Reporting elections

Question 1

what is defined by an election period? (westminster)

Answer 1

For a parliamentary general election, this period begins with the announcement of the dissolution of Parliament.

For a parliamentary by-election, this period begins with the issuing of a writ

Question 2

what is defined by an election period (scottish parliament)?

Answer 2

• For the Scottish Parliament elections, the period begins with the dissolution of the Scottish Parliament or, in the case of a by-election, with the date of the occurrence of a vacancy.

Question 3

is it illegal to support a party in the media during active election period?

Answer 3

• During the election period it is a criminal offence under s.106 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 to publish a false statement about the personal characters or conduct of an election candidate for the purpose of influencing a vote.
• However if the statement is true, then you can use this as a defence.

Question 4

rules on polling day?

Answer 4

• Journalists are banned from reporting on how voting is going or the likely outcome of an election for online, TV or radio.
• You are not allowed to report from a polling station and you are definitely not allowed to interview voters at polling stations or elsewhere then publish or broadcast their views before the polls close.

Question 5

Exit Polls

Answer 5

• Under the representation of the people 1983 Act, it is an offence to publish an exit poll before voting as ended.
• That is why you will only see the voting poll at exactly 10pm (polls usually open at 7am and close at 10m)

Question 6

Election time - Ofcom - section 6

Answer 6

• Section 6 of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code looks at how elections and referendums should be covered on UK television
• Due weight must be given to the coverage of parties and independent candidates during election period
• Discussion and analysis of election and referendum issues must finish when the poll opens. This refers to the opening of actual polling stations. It doesn’t apply to any polls submitted by post)
• If a candidate takes part in an item about his particular constituency then broadcasters must offer the opportunity to all candidates within the constituency.
• This also applies to independent candidates. However, if a candidate refuses or is unable to participate, the item may nevertheless go ahead
• Broadcasters may not publish the results of any opinion poll on polling day itself until the election or referendum poll closes

Question 7

section 7 of Ofcom

Answer 7

• This section is to ensure that broadcasters avoid unjust or unfair treatment of individuals or organisations in programmes.

– When a programme is edited, contributions should be represented fairly. Basically – you haven’t edited them to misquote, make them sound stupid or edit them in a way that you want because it suits the story.

– Broadcasters should ensure that the re-use of material filmed on another occasion does not create unfairness. Basically – Footage not used out of context

– if a programme alleges wrongdoing or makes other significant allegations, those concerned should normally be given a right to reply

Question 8

channel 4’s climate change debate

Answer 8

• The conservatives have complained to Ofcom after Channel 4 refused Michael Gove, the former Environment Secretary, the opportunity to take part in a debate last week in the lead up to the general election.
• Channel 4 said that the debate was for party leaders only and instead, two ice sculptures took the place of the absent Conservative and Brexit Party leaders.
• Complaint and ruling: The Complaint alleged that Channel 4 failed to comply with its obligations in respect of due impartiality under Sections five and six of the code
• Ofcom’s election committee assessed the Complaint from the Conservative Party and the programme as broadcast against the Code and decided that the programme had’t breached ayn regulations worth investigating

Question 9

are paper’s allowed to be partisan?

Answer 9

• The editors code has no stipulations about campaigning, in fact, Clause 1 specifically states that newspapers are free to editorialise and campaign but that they must clearly distinguish between comment, conjecture and fact.
• This means newspapers and magazines can be a supporter of any party, cause, or person, and this includes their coverage of election-related material.

Question 10

papers and accuracy

Answer 10

• IPSO received a complaint about a front-page article in The Times published in the run-up to the 2015 general election, headlined “Labour’s £1000 tax on families”.
• The complainant said that the articles’ claim that Ed Miliband would saddle every working family with extra taxes equivalent to more than £1000 was inaccurate.
• The committee found that that the way in which the newspaper characterised the findings of a publicly available report from the Institute of Fiscal Studies which analysed the Labour Party’s tax proposals represented a failure to take care over the accuracy of the article, resulting in a significant inaccuracy requiring correction.

Question 11

Regulations are less strict for papers and online news than for broadcast

Answer 11

• Newspapers often pubish an array of content prohibited for broadcast, from last-minute polls, commentary and positive or negative articles about candidates and parties.
• HOWEVER
• The papers still need to abide by the Representation of the People Act 1983 especially on the day of the polls