Media representatives call for restoring public confidence in elections

AMMAN — Participants in a workshop held on Tuesday to explore means to enhance partnership between the Independent Elections Commission (IEC) and the media agreed that there is a vital need to restore public confidence in the elections process.

During the one-day event, held at the IEC premises, Jordan Media Institute Dean Basim Tweissi unveiled the outcomes of a study that assessed the media coverage of the 2013 parliamentary elections.

He said the overall results showed that the polls witnessed extensive coverage in the print media, radio and television, in addition to news websites. 

Most of the coverage focused on the level of participation in the elections, with print media leading the trend.

Citing the study’s recommendations, Tweissi called for reviewing the laws and regulations of the electoral process to review procedures for campaigning and the role of the media.

Also speaking at the workshop, Jordan Press Foundation Chairman Samih Maaytah discussed the importance of the media in the elections, calling for further moves to restore public confidence in the process.

The former minister of state for media affairs also called for training journalists on best practices in covering elections.

Titled “Towards an effective partnership between the IEC and media outlets”, the workshop is part of a series to be organised by the IEC to receive feedback from the public over the best means to develop its role in managing future elections.

According to IEC Secretary General Ali Darabkeh, the objective is to inform the commission’s partners about the steps it is planning to take and consult them.

He briefed the participants on the IEC’s strategy and plans to develop its measures and avoid repeating the same mistakes.