DO be responsible when reporting incidents of violence
It is important to inform people about violent incidents, but you need to do so in a responsible way. Following the 2007 elections in Kenya, the local media was criticized for further inflaming violence.
– Always verify facts before reporting: Where exactly did the incident take place? Who was involved? How many people were involved? Were people killed or injured? What triggered the incident?
– Try to find several sources of information (witnesses, journalists on location, police, army, doctors at the local hospital). Name your sources in the report (and don’t rely on SMS messages from people at the scene who aren’t considered reliable sources!)
– Try to get comments on the violence from people from different ethnic groups and different sides of the political spectrum (but do not air calls for retaliation or more violence)
– Don’t use emotional language or comment on the incident yourself
– Local language stations may be criticized for their neutral broadcasting as they are often expected to share community views. Explain your reasons for being neutral on air

DO take care when reading out SMS messages
Many radio and television stations read out SMS messages or have an SMS ticker. These might represent people’s opinions about the elections or results, but hateful messages have no place on air. Also, be balanced by reading out messages from diverse areas, or from people supporting different parties or groups.

DO cut off callers using hate speech on air
Talkback radio gives people the opportunity to be heard. Plus it’s a lively and cheap way to get diverse opinions on air. But hosts need to be extremely careful that their show doesn’t inflame tensions.
– Cut off callers (and politicians) who use hate speech, ethnic baiting or call for violence
– Explain to the listeners that cutting off such callers is in line with station’s policy and your radio won’t support violent talk (so that you don’t seemed biased)
– Ask listeners to call in with their comments about hate speech
– While some stations argue that airing inflammatory language is good for ratings, the risk of conflict in this post-election period is just too high. Responsibility comes before ratings!

A Sierra Leonean journalist collects peace messages from a gang member

DO prepare messages of peace
If you live in a country with a history of conflict, peace messages, songs and jingles featuring prominent individuals (imams, priests, musicians, movie stars, sports stars, even gangster groups who have promised not to stir up trouble) can go far to calm tensions. Alternatively, ask children for messages of peace. Another idea is to get different groups of people, such as the elderly, market women, or school children, to sing the national anthem (or another song associated with national pride) and play the different versions together with peace messages

DO continue to monitor the counting
Just because the polling day is over, it doesn’t mean that the media’s watchdog role is finished. Things to check:
– Can observers, the media and nominated political party representatives freely enter all tally centers (including at local, district and and regional levels)?
– Do the centers have adequate lighting and security?
– Is the counting taking longer than normal? Why?

DO put the results in context
When the results are finally announced …
– Seek comments from the winners and losers
– Mention the final turnout figure
– Get some reactions from a diverse cross section of people on the street.
– Add some independent analysts and comments from international and domestic observers

DO analyze the results
Your job isn’t over when the results are announced.
– How much did someone win by? Who mainly voted for them (male, female, old young, a particular ethnic group)? Has this changed since the last elections.
– What percentage of people voted? Were there particular groups who didn’t vote? Why? Has this changed from the last elections?
– How many invalid votes where there? Where their regions with more invalid votes? How does this compare to last election?
– What are the country’s prospects under the elected leadership in various fields, such as the economy, law and internal security?

DON’T broadcast political press releases about vote rigging without context
Politicians who have lost the vote (or look like loosing) often favor the strategy of putting out a press release alleging the elections were rigged (which may or may not be true). Don’t just read out the whole press release on air. Rather
– Summarize the allegations using neutral language
– Add information from independent election monitors
– Seek a comment on the allegations from the electoral commission. If they say they will address the comments a later press conference, mention this in your reporting

DON’T forget to continue to monitor the government
As an election reporter, you have a sound grasp of what promises the new government made during its campaign so you are ideally placed to follow up whether its living up to those promises.

For more information, check out UNESCO’s list of online election reporting resources as well as the ACE Electoral Knowledge Network, which is an amazing source information about elections and electoral systems worldwide.

I also highly recommend the “Media & Elections” handbook as well as the “Election Reporting Handbook” by the International Journalist Federation

DO be familiar with the election process
It might sound obvious, but as a reporter, you need need to know the ins and outs of the election process because otherwise you can’t effectively monitor the elections and report on any problems and misconduct. Some of the things you need to know BEFORE you go out to report on election day include:
– What is the procedure for opening the ballot station?
– What are the rules about campaign materials and canvassing near polling stations?
– What steps do voters have to go through to cast their votes?
– What is the procedure for sealing ballot boxes when voting closes?
– Where does the vote counting take place and who is entitled to accompany the ballot boxes there?
– Who is allowed to be present while votes are counted?
– How does the vote counting work exactly?

DO be at the polling station before it opens
If you have been allocated a particular polling station or district, you need to be there before the doors open. It gives you time to assess the atmosphere and talk to some people before you make your first report.
– Check if polling officials have arrived at the prescribed time
– Check if campaign material has been removed from inside the prescribed area around the polling station
– Ask people if they have been intimidated on the way to the polling station or while they are standing in line
– Ask if people have been promised anything such as food or money for their vote
– Find out if people were able to travel easily to the polling station: are roads open, are there any impediments such as a collapsed bridge or military checkpoints making the journey to the polling booth longer?
– Talk to any physically disabled people, the elderly or pregnant women in queue about how they got to the polling station and if there were any special provisions available for their transport
– Ask what time people started queuing up and why they are making the effort to vote

In Sierra Leone, election officials at one polling station tried unsuccessfully to use this ‘training’ ballot box

DO monitor the opening of the polling station
Depending on your country’s procedure for opening the polling station, there are several important points to look for here:
– Check if there are the correct number of ballot boxes (I have been at a polling booth where there should have been four ballot boxes – one each for president, parliamentarian, mayor and councilor – but one was missing, causing an extremely tense situation)
– Check if the ballot boxes are the correct ones for use in the elections, for example, do they have a serial number on them which allows the box to be traced in case of irregular voting
– Watch while ALL of the ballot boxes are opened in front of those present to show they are empty
– Monitor whether ALL the ballot boxes are correctly signed and sealed before voting starts
– Report whether the polling station opens on time
– Report whether election observers are present
– Watch who are the first to vote – are pregnant women, the elderly and the disabled allowed to go to the front of the queue?
– Observe if people are able to cast their vote in secrecy

These two elderly women are angry about polling day delays. It’s hot and they’re tired, they say

DO keep talking to people during the day
You might have been up since four in the morning and feel like you have talked to every possible group of people at the polling station, but it is important to keep alert and keep monitoring the voting process even if everything seems to be running smoothly.
– Find out if any people are leaving without casting their vote because they are fed up of waiting
– Ask if there are any people who are unable to vote because their name isn’t on the electoral roll
– Monitor whether there are enough ballot papers
– Look for any illegal canvassing
– Ask people of various ages and backgrounds how they feel about voting in the election (but DON’T ask them who they voted for!)
– Ask if people how they found the voting process (easy, confusing …. )
This can also be a good time to collect some human interest stories. Here a couple I have found during the slow period on an election day:

A blind man who had to trust the person accompanying to vote for who he wanted because he was unable to read the ballot paper himself

An 94-year-old woman who talked entertainingly about how voting had changed over the decades – she cast her first vote by putting a marble into a certain jar and now she had a biometric voting card and a ballot paper.

DO stay for the close of polls
Things to look for as the polling station closes:
– Monitor if voters are being turned away at closing time without being allowed to vote even if they are still queued up
– Does the polling station close on time / close early / stay open beyond closing time even if no one is left in line?
– Observe if the ballot boxes are properly sealed before being taken to be counted
– Watch if the counting is going smoothly
– Check if observers are monitoring the counting process
– Report if there are any counting difficulties – I have observed ballot counting where the generators have run out of fuel and counting has continued by candlelight, making it difficult to see the ballot papers and difficult to check for any wrongdoings

People are glued to the radio throughout polling day, so what you say matters!

DON’T discuss campaign issues on air while the polls are open
In many countries, parties must cease campaigning a day or two before election day. If you continue to discuss campaign issues while people are still voting, you and your media outlet could be construed as influencing the ballot. Not only is this against many media codes of practice, it could also exacerbate any tension. On election day, stick to your job of monitoring the elections and giving people a chance to voice their feelings about how the election process is going.

DON’T broadcast any comments about politicians or parties
Your job on election day is to be a neutral observer. Don’t run the risk of sparking violence by airing comments (negative or positive) about any particular party or politician. Even if someone is just giving vent to their anger about how disorganized the elections are and criticizing the current government for this, you should not air it (even if it is true).

DON’T make predictions about the outcome before the close of the polls
This is particularly dangerous. Firstly, you could influence the outcome of the elections as people might think that their preferred party has lost anyway and so change how they vote. Secondly, if the actual result differs from your predictions, it could spark conflict and violence. Just don’t do it!

DON’T make predictions about the results of voting irregularities
Although your job is to report any problems or irregularities on polling day, you can not predict what will happen as a results of these irregularities. In some countries, it is the extent of the vote tampering which is important. For example, if votes from a particular station or even a whole district are annulled, it might not change the overall results of a presidential election where millions of people are voting. In this situation, even if hundreds of polling stations are annulled, it might not void the whole election. It can be a different story though at local level where a handful of annulled votes can make all the difference to who gets in.

For more information, check out UNESCO’s list of online election reporting resources

I also highly recommend the Media & Elections handbook as well as the Election Reporting Handbook by the International Journalist Federation

In Part 3, Kate will take a look election reporting after polling day.

In any country, elections are the political high point of the year. Campaigns can be drawn out or seen as a forgone conclusion for an incumbent political party or leader, but they can also be violent, dividing communities and straining stability in democratically fragile countries.

The media of course can make a pivotal contribution to whether a country’s elections are free and fair. One of its main roles is to be an accurate source of information – letting voters know about the issues, the politicians and their promises and manifestos and how the electoral system works. The media also has an watchdog role in exposing any wrongdoings. In addition, the media gives voters an important forum to express their views. In the first of our three part series on election reporting, DW Akademie’s Kate Hairsine brings you some dos and don’ts of reporting in the pre-election period.

DO know the ins and outs of the electoral process
It might sound obvious but if you are covering an election, you need to be familiar with the electoral process. Otherwise you can’t properly report on any problems or electoral malpractice. Some things you should know:

– How do voters register?
– Who is restricted from registering (non-citzens, mentally ill, prison inmates?)
– What are the rules governing the registration of candidates and have all candidates seeking to stand been able to register?
– What are the rules governing campaign financing? Is there an obligation for parties to declare finances, is there a limit to political donations, or does the state finance the campaigns of political parties?
– Where are the boundaries of electorates? Have they been recently altered without proper consultation?
– Who will impose penalties on parties or candidates who break the rules? Is this organization, such as an election commission, independent of the government? How is the management of this organization appointed?

DO be balanced in your reporting
Being balanced in reporting and programming means striving to include the voices of all main political parties and not simply one opinion. It means if a candidate makes an election promise, then you should seek reactions from other candidates and voters. People should especially have the right of reply to controversial statements. At times, it is impossible to avoid giving one party more coverage because of the significance of an event. But similar events by other parties should receive similar amounts of coverage.

A Liberian election reporter asks a disabled woman what she thinks is the biggest issue facing her country

DO focus on the issues, not just on the politicians
Too often, election reporting is focused on politicians and their manifestos and speeches. But instead of reporting what politicians say what they will do for the people (called top-down reporting), an alternative is to find out and report on what people want from the politicians. Known as bottom-up or voters-voice reporting, the idea is to make voters heard in elections. It is also a way to help voters understand the differences between the parties and make an informed decision on election day.
– Talk to a wide range of people in your area (male, female, young, old, educated, illiterate, wealthy, poor)
– Find out what they think are the most important issues in the election
– Ask politicians from various parties what they will do about this particular issue
– If possible, talk to neutral experts/civil society groups to find out what they think could be done to help solve the problem
The excellent handbook, Media &∓ Elections has more on the topic with some examples

DO put political rallies or speeches into context
If you are reporting on a political event or speech, don’t just report on what was said. If you do that, you are simply acting as a mouthpiece for the politician. Instead, you should include details to put the event in context:
– Report where the event was held
– Make an estimate of how many people were present
– Describe what kind of people attended: Were they male, female, young, old, workers, university educated, people from a particular village or supporters offered transport?
– Ask people about their reactions to the event or speech
– Ask those present what else they would have liked to have heard or find out what issues are important to them
– Add background information about the candidate’s track record of implementing election promises
– Seek balance in your story by asking other leaders and voter groups what they think of the speech

DO report hate speech in a responsible way
Politicians often use inflammatory language and insults to attack other candidates, parties, or ethnic groups associated with a particular party. It is important to report hate speech in a responsible way so as not to incite tensions or fan ethnic violence.
– Balance your reporting of the comments with a reaction from those who are being attacked
– Try to include reactions from people on the street to the comments (in my experience, regardless of their political persuasion, many ordinary voters are outraged by hate speech)
– Seek a statement from a respected or prominent figure (imam, priest, musician, footballer, peace advocate) calling for peace

DO look at the past record of the government and the opposition
Some journalists are afraid to analyze and criticize the record of the present government for fear of being seen as in favor of the opposition. However, it is a journalist’s role to examine the achievements of government. Has it lived up to election promises? Has the government, for example, improved roads or installed a reliable power supply as it pledged to do so? Journalists need to provide this information to help people judge whether they should vote the current government back in. Don’t forget to look at what role the opposition played in the previous term. Did they present alternative ideas and suggestions? Did opposition politicians take part in constructive debates on issues?

DON’T forget to cover the smaller parties
Many elections are dominated by two main parties who receive most of the media coverage. However, in the interests of balance, try and cover the smaller parties, some of which may be of interest to certain minority groups or important in certain regions. In addition, one of the minor parties could end up in a governing coalition or hold the balance of power in parliament.

DON’T just talk to experts
In the lead up to the elections, many journalists tend to focus on interviewing experts, such as election commission officials and chiefs of police to find out how the election organization is going. While such experts have their value, they often have a vested interest in saying everything is under control.
– Don’t forget to ask relevant civil society organizations and election watchdogs to comment on election preparations
– Even better, talk to affected groups. For example, if you are going to interview an election commission official about the organization of transport on election day, visit a disabled group beforehand and see if they have been given information about how they will get to the polling booths.
– Play the resulting vox pop or a report before your expert interview, or put this information in your article. It’s not just better journalism – it also makes for more lively programming.

While party t-shirts and clothing proliferates at election time, as a journalist, your role is to be neutral

DON’T attend party rallies or wear party colors or pins in the lead up to elections
It doesn’t matter how strongly you feel about a particular politician or party, showing your political affiliations undermines your credibility as a journalist. Many people won’t talk to a reporter who is seen as siding with a certain party. And even if your reporting isn’t biased, people won’t view you as a credible source of information because they will perceive you as biased.

DON’T broadcast rumors
In many countries without a strong independent media, rumor is unfortunately one of the main sources of information. But incorrect information can fan tension and inflame violence during the election period. Don’t add to it! Always have at least two credible sources of information before reporting something.

For more information, check out UNESCO’s list of online election reporting resources

I also recommend the “Election Reporting Handbook” by the International Journalist Federation

In Part 2, Kate will take a look election reporting on the day of the polls.∓

Ory Okolloh, Google Policy and Government Relations Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa

All over the world Google is engaging more and more in covering elections and making access to information easier for voters. This is also true for Africa. Following the elections in Ghana in December last year, Google has launched a new hub for the Kenyan elections coming up on March 4. DW Akademie spoke to Ory Okolloh, Google’s Policy and Government Relations Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, about Google’s work in Africa and its commitment to free and fair elections.

Africa is still suffering from a big digital divide. How does Google adapt to this?

There are several things that we do as a company to adapt to the digital divide, although it has narrowed considerably over the last few years, there’s still some work to be done. First, on the access side we work on a number of initiatives to help: for instance, connect universities. We have the Google Apps Supporting Programs  which includes the deployment of Google Apps but also support universities who are partners with their infrastructure. We also do things like install the Google Global Cashes – we have pretty much covered most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa which allows consumers to access our products much faster by cashing them locally. On the policy side we’re helping different governments to improve and implement broadband policies.

Ultimately, as a private company there’s only so much we can do and the idea is to try and get governments in Africa to treat internet and access to internet as a key component of infrastructure. So infrastructure is not just roads or electricity and water. It’s also access to internet and we’re starting to see progress on that in some countries like Kenya, which is definitely treating technology as a key part of government policy. And Nigeria and Senegal are now working on a broadband policy. So also helping to shape the broader picture is important. Finally, you have to keep in mind that the next billion of people worldwide will probably come online with their mobile phones. We’re trying to optimize this mobile first environment with projects like Gmail-sms .

Gmail SMS brings emails through SMS to simple feature phones – no internet needed. Is that the break-through for rural areas?

I’m not sure it’s a break-through solution. It’s one of many opportunities for people to access our products easier. I’m not convinced that there’s a need to develop specifically for rural areas versus urban areas. I think what needs to happen is make access overall cheaper, make the phones cheaper and people will figure out how to communicate and how to engage with each other. So broadly, I think we don’t speak of rural versus urban area, but in many markets it’s still harder to access our products and enabling things like email via sms is one of the things we try to do to solve that divide.

Google is also putting a lot of resources into elections. You’ve done so for the recent elections in Ghana and you’re also featuring the upcoming elections in Kenya. Why is Google doing this?

Our election’s work is not just in Africa. We do this work all over the world.  It’s part of our mission to make information accessible easily to people around the world. We have found that people during elections increasingly go online to search for information. For instance in Kenya last year the IEBC , which is the Electoral Commission in Kenya, was a top trending search, meaning that people go to the website and try to find information on the elections. This is an observation not only in Kenya; it’s also in the US, in Latin America… it’s across the world. What we’re trying to do through our election work is make that information number one: easy for people to access by aggregating it and bringing it to the surface,  and two: we do a lot of work on training around our tools and around digital talk in general for people who are covering the elections. We do training for media and journalists in terms of how can they use Google tools and the internet to improve the election coverage, we work with political parties who are willing to embrace technology to engage with citizens, we think that’s a great trend in Africa as the voting population gets younger. Certainly the campaigns are being forced to go online and engage with citizens in that sense. We’re also engaging with civil society – whether they do advocacy work, whether they’re planning to monitor the elections, or whether they are planning to educate voters, just in terms of how they can use technology to amplify their work. And finally, we follow what’s going on and engage so if you get to voting you’ll know how you can be on top of what’s the latest news and information.

Has Google become an agent of freedom of speech?

The founders have always spoken openly about their believe in free expression and the free movement of information between borders. So, I don’t think Google has become an agent of freedom of speech. I think it’s a value the company respects and takes very seriously.

You’ve already mentioned the training of journalists. You’ve also launched information portals on the Ghanaian as well as on the Kenyan elections. How far are journalism projects becoming strategically more important to Google?

Journalism and media is always going to be important to us, particularly as a company in Africa for a number of reasons. People still consume most of their information with the news, whether it’s radio, newspaper, TV or online and people still look for journalists for the latest information. Two, it’s about local content. We ask ourselves, it’s great that people go online but do they find information that’s meaningful to them? Are they getting local content? And journalists again are a very important medium in shaping the content that is brought online. I think media is looking to sort of grapple with how do you balance offline and online. I think we can offer support in terms of education and sharing experiences so that they can maximize or handle this balance between their offline strategy and their online strategy. One interesting example from a training in Kenya: Recently we saw a journalist, who attended one of our trainings, using a Google map to capture the results of the primaries and no one else was doing this. He was using the skills at hand and the information at hand to present information that then is very useful to people who are trying to follow who has won or lost in the primaries. In Ghana, we integrated Google+ hangouts with radio. So through Google+ radios in Ghana were able to do interviews with people in the diaspora, with people who couldn’t make it to the studio. We also organized hangouts between listeners and politicians. This blend of traditional media and technology demonstrates that you’re able to combine the two to engage with your users or followers. Short answer: Media is very important for us, in our relationship with them. Both in terms of training and support we can offer but also the content is important to us. So that people who come online and search for information find content that’s relevant to them.

So looking at the Kenyan elections again, what influence do you think the internet is going to have on the upcoming elections?

I think it will have a big role. Not necessarily in determining the results. But I think in terms of how people are going to access information and follow the trends – whether it’s on Facebook or Twitter, the elections hub or Youtube. It’s the first time for presidential debates and I’m sure a lot of people can’t get to the TV. They’ll be watching online and looking at the video on Youtube. So, I think the internet will be influential in terms of engagement and following the information. Many more Kenyans are online now than 2007 and some of the gaps that we saw in 2007 will be much harder to happen in 2013.

Interview: Christine Harjes

An IRN roving reporter calls in his election report from a polling station

The elections in Sierra Leone in November 2012 marked another important test for the country’s democracy and stability some ten years after the end of its civil war.

To help provide accurate and impartial coverage of the elections, local radio stations and international partners worked together to produce IRN – the Independent Radio Network. This temporary cooperation gave many Sierra Leoneans across the country access to up to date and independent election reporting. DW Akademie’s Kate Hairsine was one of the international trainers mentoring IRN journalists and looks back on how this innovative network covered the elections.

Even in the middle of the night, the sounds of the Independent Radio Network (IRN) blared though the bedroom window of my guest house in Freetown. It seemed simply everyone in Sierra Leone with a radio was tuned to the network in the lead up to the 11 November 2012 elections.

Whether I was eating breakfast at a backstreet cafe, catching a minibus or buying bananas at the markets, IRN’s theme song blasted my eardrums from first thing in the morning to deep into the night.

Walking down a potholed road on the way to buy some food one evening, I met Umaru Karoma, who like a lot of people in Freetown had a radio glued to his ear. I recognized IRN’s theme song straight away.

“We are all listening to IRN,” Umaru said. “Everybody wants to know about the elections.”

Radio vital for information

Even on-duty policemen listened to IRN

Radio is the most important medium of communication in Sierra Leone. One of the poorest countries in the world, it has a high illiteracy rate and newspapers are virtually unobtainable outside of the capital, Freetown.

To make the situation even more difficult, although the media in Sierra Leone is relatively free of government interference, it is extremely difficult for Sierra Leoneans to access impartial and credible information. This is because many of the newspapers and radio stations are biased towards one particular party or another.

As for the public TV and radio broadcaster SLBC, the European Union Election Observer Mission (EUEOM) noted that it gave “access to political parties and candidates through free-airtime programmes”. However, in news bulletins and election related programming “SLBC showed biased coverage in favour of the ruling party” – the APC.

Hence, the Independent Radio Network filled a vital role. IRN was originally established back in 2002 to cover that year’s national elections. It’s primarily funded by international donors and the network has developed a reputation for producing independent and unbiased content.

Covering the country

Together with two other trainers from DW Akademie, I worked with IRN journalists for two weeks helping them with producing and planning their election coverage. And all three of us were incredibly impressed by the quality of IRN’s election programming and the effort they took to ensure their reporting was accurate and balanced.

There was barely room to move in the IRN hub

And the hub of this exceptional reporting was the tiny, cramped and hot IRN studio in the center of Freetown.

Normally, IRN preproduces three hours of weekly programming for distribution through its 28 partner stations across Sierra Leone’s 14 districts. But for the elections, IRN ramped up its programming to broadcast live, around the clock, from election eve until the day after elections. It then reported live three times a day until results were announced six days later on November 16.

This was a mammoth undertaking that was two years in the making, involving hundreds of reporters in the field, as well as a multitude of hosts and producers.

For the first time IRN joined forces with Cotton Tree News, a news and information service with its own partner stations. The temporary partnership meant around 90 percent of country had access to the live IRN radio coverage, making it akin to a national broadcaster.

Roving reporters

Pivotal to IRN’s election coverage were the 630 roving reporters from the partner stations to monitor selected polling stations across the country – effectively to be the “eyes and ears of the nation”. Each reporter was equipped with Le 200,000 ($45) and 250 units of phone credit. In the lead up to the elections all of the reporters attended election reporting training and were also given a copy of IRN’s excellent Reporters Handbook.

An IRN reporter sits with election observers

Starting from election day, the journalists called in to the central hub and reported on all the election day processes: whether a polling station opened up on time, if voting was running smoothly, if people could vote freely or if all those who wanted to vote were able to by the time the polling station closed.

And for some of the reporters, simply getting to their allocated polling station was a grueling exercise. Sulaiman ‘Storm’ Karoma from the IRN partner station, Radio Democracy, spent two days traveling to the remote village of Yiffin in the northern Koinadugu District. The final 50 kilometers of his journey involved a tortuous six hour motorbike ride down a washed-out muddy track.

Karoma says it is was “important” he was sent there because he provided eye-witness information from somewhere where there were no national or international observers.

According to Karoma, the polling station opened late because the truck carrying elections materials got bogged and the materials had to continue on motorbikes. Some ballot boxes were missing for part of the day as were screens for the polling booths.

“It is incumbent on us as journalists to have an idea of what it is like at a particular place during elections,” he said when he returned to Freetown. “That is the first time that a reporter has been sent there and a lot of people want to hear from places that are excluded.”

In the 2007 elections, IRN had a pool of 420 reporters. According to IRN coordinator Ransford Wright, having such a large number of reporters for the 2012 elections was “a major advantage” because it meant being able to get updates from all over the country.

Quashing rumors

Because of a transportation ban on election day, journalists couldn’t use minibuses or okada motorbike taxis to move around as usual (most journalists in Sierra Leone rely on okadas to get around).

This meant every journalist who was able to beg or borrow a car or motorbike was roped in to be an ‘on call’ reporter, who sped to a polling station when there were rumors of tension or wrongdoing. That way, IRN could double check the situation on the ground for themselves before going to air with a story.

This is especially important in a society where rumors often play a big role in inflaming tensions.

Team effort

Back at the IRN office in Freetown, at any one time, dozens of journalists crowded around a giant table, writing radio scripts, ringing potential interview partners and editing reports. Down one side of the cramped room, producers manned the four telephone lines – one for each of the country’s four districts.

The IRN producers worked furiously to coordinate the information coming in and organize the programs. IRN’s election coverage was also supported by BBC Media Action and Search for Common Ground, an international NGO dedicated to peace-building.

Amara Bangura, from BBC Media Action, said the whole coverage was “strengthened” as a result of so many people working together.

“If you can divide the job … at the end of the day you put together everything and have an amazing program.”

And in a boost for all of those who worked on IRN’s election project, the Commonwealth election observers noted in their official report that although “most of Sierra Leone’s media was openly partisan”, IRN “provided impartial news and information on the election.”