Report shows areas to improve in election media coverage

DAR ES SALAAM: AS the clock ticks towards 2025 General Election, the new report recommends that the media should pay more attention to critical issues during the campaigns and avoid shallow reporting.

The Yearbook on Media Quality in Tanzania report, prepared by the University of Dar es Salaam School of Journalism and Mass Communication (UDSM-SJMC) also suggests that the media have to improve the quality of reporting by moving upstream to cover the substance of policies outlined by political parties.

In politics, “policy” refers to a planned course of action or a set of principles adopted by a government, political party, or other organisation to address specific issues or achieve particular goals.

In so doing, they should make explicit references to party manifestos, including informing the public about the candidates’ achievements and/or failures.

“Improvement done in the quality of reporting is also extremely important as it adds value to reportage and helps the citizens, who are voters, make well-informed decisions,” the report reads in part.

The recommendations were made based on its findings from the radio stations coverage of the 2024 Local Government Elections in the country.

In its report, the School says it found that the coverage of candidates was poor, as only 12 per cent of all stories featured candidates.

Moreover, the quality of the stories lacked essential information, including crucial aspects of candidates’ past achievements and failures. The report study found out that 91 per cent of the coverage did not mention candidates’ achievements.

“This omission severely undermines the electorate’s ability to assess the candidates based on their track records and informed opinions about their competencies,” the report, which was presented in Dar es Salaam, on Wednesday by Principal Investigator Dr Zacharia Malima, states.

The report recommends an urgent need to train journalists on election reporting, noting that the training can be organised nationally or locally by respective media houses.

Speaking about the data used for the report, Dr Malima said that 35 radio stations were used in sample, from which the research team analysed 992 news and programmes.

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Only 12 per cent of all stories featured candidates. “As we head towards the General Elections later this year, based on experiences drawn from the media’s coverage of the 2024 Local Government Elections (LGE) and the challenges encountered by the journalists, there is an urgent need to train journalists on election reporting,” the report states.

The School proposes in its report that the training should start early enough to prepare journalists to cover meaningfully all three cycles of elections. Some of the activities of the first cycle of the 2025 GEs are currently underway, including an update of the voter register.

Reflecting on the report, Law Professor Issa Shivji emphasised the need for journalists to enhance election coverage by reporting on the entire electoral process and uncover all relevant issues that arise during elections.

“Many journalists focus heavily on reporting election campaigns while overlooking other essential issues that are crucial for the community and Tanzanians as a whole,” Prof Shivji stated.

Furthermore, the report recommends simplifying the work of reporters and editors by encouraging newsrooms to create and display a one-page checklist on election reporting.

According to the report, placing a checklist on newsroom walls would provide journalists with easy access and a quick reference guide.

Additionally, it is stated in the report that the quality of election reporting lacked essential information, particularly key details about candidates’ past achievements and failures, which were notably absent.

Insights from media stakeholders indicate that the shortcomings are partly due to internal factors, such as the limited capacity of local reporters, lack of support from editors, and insufficient understanding of the media’s role in elections