Chapter 27 Political Round

In this chapter, we discuss some of the ethical issues in reporting on politics and we look at
some of the skills you need to be a good political reporter, especially how to gather
information. In the next chapter we discuss how to write in an informed way which your
readers or listeners can understand.

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Politics is a big area which provides a very large part of the media's diet of news. Politics is
about relationships within and between societies, about the use of power and authority, and about
the government of countries or communities. For journalists, politics can range from stories
about individuals competing for power in minor organisations to nation competing against nation
in international affairs.

It is difficult to define where politics ends and government begins - or even if there is a dividing
line. In this and the following chapter, we will look at the ways of reporting power struggles as
news, at the coverage of elections, and at government - the practical application of politics.

Principles of political reporting

The most important thing to remember about politics is that it involves people. It involves the
politicians who make decisions, the public servants who carry out their orders and - most
important - the people affected by their actions. Your job as a journalist is to serve the people
affected, to explain how the decisions will affect their lives. You should also give them
knowledge they need to take part in debates and vote for the people who will serve them best.
You should not be writing for the politicians or public servants concerned in particular issues;
they should know already what is going on. Whenever you report on any political story, always
ask yourself: "How will it affect my readers' or listeners' lives?"

There is a further reason for reporting politics. If you tell the people what is happening, they can
give their reactions to it. They can write letters to the editor, give their opinions in vox pops or
express their feelings directly to the politicians and public servants themselves. In this way, those
in power know what the people they are governing think. This is important in any democracy.

Explain events and issues

One of your main tasks as a journalist is to explain events and issues in a way your readers or
listeners can understand. If you only report what happens or what is said, you will give your
readers or listeners a fragmented picture of the world. They also need to know how and why
things happen. Your stories must always put events and issues in context, showing how they
affect people.
Explanations do not have to be long descriptions. It can often be done in one or two sentences. In
the following example, we explain why it is significant that Parliament has extended its sitting to
debate a finance bill:

Parliament is to sit for an extra day, to complete debate on a bill to introduce deep sea fishing
licences.
The Government wants the Fishery Control Bill passed this session, in order to raise revenue.
Fisheries Minister Alva Maifu hopes that the licensing system will raise more than $1 million.
If the bill is not passed by Parliament tomorrow, it will have to wait for the next session in three
months time.

Such explanations are particularly important in politics, where there is often a lot of debate and
dealing in the background before decisions are reached which affect the lives of your readers or
listeners. The change of one key person in a political structure may alter the whole nature of that
structure and, as a result, change the lives of your readers or listeners.

Explanation not advice

There is an important difference between explaining events and giving advice on how to alter
situations. Explanation is clearly one role of the journalist. Leave the political activist or the
expert in that field to give advice. Your job as a journalist is to report different opinions, not to
judge them. Be objective.

For example, while you should report that your country has signed a new trade treaty with Japan,
and explain what it will mean for imports, exports, prices and jobs, you should not give your
personal opinion on whether you think the treaty is a good or a bad thing. Your job is to tell the
news, put it in context, report some expert opinion - and leave your audience to make up their
own minds (see Chapter 56: Facts and opinion).

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Know your audience

As with any area of news, it is important that you know your readers or listeners. You can then
adapt your news-telling style to their general level of interest and understanding, remembering
always that you should aim to inform the less-educated members of your audience as well as the
educated ones.

It is worth adding here that some societies or communities are more "political" than others. By
this we mean that they see politics at work in issues more often than the members of some other
communities.

An awareness of the general level of political consciousness in your community will help you to
determine which issues you need to cover - and how.
Do not confuse your community's general level of political consciousness with your own interest
in political affairs, which might be greater because you work in the media. If readers or listeners
are not interested in politics, you should not force them. However, even a lack of interest in
politics should not cut them off from receiving news of a political nature about things which
affect their lives.

For example, your readers or listeners may have little interest in debates in parliament over
transport policy. However, if the debate ends in a decision to increase bus fares by 20 percent,
you must tell them this.

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Be suspicious

It may seem obvious, but remember that you cannot believe everything you are told in politics.
Always be suspicious about what people say, especially when they make promises or boast about
their achievements.

When a politician or political activist speaks just to appear good (or to keep in the public eye for
the next election), you should treat what they say as personal advertising.
When they speak on a current issue, you should ask whether their comments add to the people's
understanding of the issue. If they do, that is news. If they do not, that is just personal

advertising.

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Cultivate sources and contacts

Even though you may be suspicious of the motives of politicians, you should still try to make a
wide range of contacts among them. You may need to put aside your personal dislike for a
politician or his philosophy. You should judge politicians you dislike in the same way as you
judge those you admire. Whenever they speak on an issue, you must ask:

 Do they have the power to do anything practical about what they are saying? Can they change
words into deeds?
 Are they influential in shaping opinion?
 Does their specific comment increase your audience's understanding of the issue?

If the answer is "yes" to any of the above, they may be worth reporting.

On a practical level, even politicians you personally dislike will give  you  stories  if  they 
believe  that  you  will  treat  them  fairly.
Politicians in opposition often provide useful information about abuses by those in power. Both
you and they are there to monitor the performance of the rulers, whether national or local.

You may, of course, be working in a country where confrontation is not encouraged in politics.
In some countries, politicians not in power are meant to support the leaders, not oppose them.
Everyone is urged to work together to achieve certain national goals. Even in situations such as
these, criticism is usually allowed as long as its aim is to suggest improvements to the system,
not simply to oppose it on ideological grounds.

In most political systems, the leaders and the people try to work together to improve their
society. They can do this by exchanging views. Try to keep a balance between reporting the
achievements of the powerful and reporting the concerns of the powerless.

Protect confidentiality

Because political reporters have to deal with both sides in an argument, you have a duty to
respect the confidentiality of sources - you must keep any promises you give to keep certain
information to yourself. For example, you should not tell an interviewee what you have just
learned in confidence from their opponent unless you know that the opponent will not mind. If
people feel that they can talk in confidence to you, they will often give you plenty of material,
both on and off the record. On the record comments can be reported. Off the record comments
are usually given on agreement that they will not be reported. (For more details, see Chapters 59
and 60 on sources of information.)

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Know your subject

Knowing your subject and being properly prepared is vital in all fields of journalism. Before you
do any interview, you need to know something about the issue, its latest developments and
history; the interviewee's background and politics; and the political system applicable to the
issue. It could, for example, be pointless interviewing a local council leader about defence policy
when defence is a central government responsibility. Equally, it could be embarrassing to ask a
person why he opposes a measure when, in fact, he supports it in principle.

Always try to prepare some searching questions. Some stories will demand a very critical
approach, others may only need a clear explanation and some questions to make some points
clearer.

You must always pursue a line of questioning until you get an answer that will satisfy your
readers or listeners. They cannot ask the party leader, association chairman or minister directly,
so your readers or listeners rely on you to know what kind of questions they want answering.
You may think you already know the answers, but the purpose of journalism is not to educate
you. You exist as a journalist to inform your readers or listeners, so keep asking questions until
you are sure that they will be satisfied with the answers.
It is important that you keep up-to-date records of any changes in government structures or
political office. Whenever you write a story about any political or government changes, also
make the necessary changes in the newsroom reference file. For example, if there is a cabinet
reshuffle, get a full list of the new ministers and put it in the newsdesk file. Regularly update
your files and check contact numbers.

TO SUMMARISE:

Tell your readers or listeners how political decisions will affect their lives

Your job is to report different opinions, not to judge them; be objective

Cultivate a wide rang