“Monitoring Jordanian Media Coverage of Parliamentary Elections 2016” Results

JMI research unit published three reports on the results of qualitative monitoring of three phases of the 2016 parliamentary elections between 16 August 2016 and 27 September 2016. The fourth and final report was published with the final conclusions of the three monitoring reports.

Local media outlets published a total of 11,413 articles on the elections during the period covered by the monitoring project. News items constituted the majority (70%) with 7,987 articles, while opinion pieces accounted for 3,426 articles (30%).

The project aimed to:

• Monitor media compliance with electoral laws, regulations and bylaws: opportunities of free and direct access to information, electoral campaigning, and the pre-election Day of Silence.
• Monitor media adherence to professional ethics in election coverage.
• Monitor media commitment to fulfilling the public’s right to know about the various phases of the electoral process, provision of platforms for honest debates, and its educational role in pinpointing the main issues tackled in the election campaigns.
• Identify the active forces in the elections and their characteristics; the nature of media content related to election coverage and marketing; and the application of academic and professional standards.

The reports covered 20 media outlets, including daily newspapers, news websites, radio stations and television channels. The monitoring covered three phases in accordance with international standards and best practices, as follows:

1. First phase (registration): Starting on Monday, 15/8/2016, one day ahead of the registration period, and ending on Thursday, 25/8/2916, the day the candidate lists are fully examined and officially announced. The material was sent for analysis on Friday 26/8/2016. To view the first report, click here.
2. Second phase (electoral campaigning): Starting from Sunday, 28/8/2016 until Thursday 15/9/2016. The material was sent for analysis on Friday 16/9/2016. To view the second report, click here. 
3. Third phase: From Sunday, 18/9/2016 until Thursday, 29/9/2016, including the day of pre-election silence, election day, announcement of results and the repercussions of the results for one week. The material was sent for analysis on Friday 30/9/2016. To view the third report, click here.

The reports are available in Arabic language.