Swapo tops election media coverage
... as opposition parties gain more airtime
The 2024 Elections Media Monitoring Report was released last Friday, with six more to be issued over the coming months.
The ruling party secured more media coverage than all other political parties contesting the upcoming National Assembly and presidential elections slated for 27 November, an election media monitoring project has found.
Spearheaded by the media ombudsman, the results show a notable increase in election coverage overall, with opposition parties receiving slightly more media coverage compared to past elections.
Media ombudsman Dr John Nakuta released the second 2024 Elections Media Monitoring Report in Windhoek on Thursday last week.
He indicated that the project also found that “lack of agenda setting by political parties is still observable".
Trends observed
The data, collected during the ongoing election campaign, suggests that out of 7 779 electoral statements covered by the media between July and August, 2 789 were in reference to Swapo, followed by the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM, 1 301), Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF, 969), Affirmative Repositioning (AR, 559) and the Landless People's Movement (LPM, 702).
Between June and July, Swapo received the lion's share of news coverage with 43%, followed by NEFF (14%), LPM (12%), and Nudo (9%), while the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) and PDM stood at 6% coverage, respectively.
During the period July and August, Swapo continued hogging the headlines despite its coverage dropping to 32%, followed by PDM, which saw its coverage jump to 19%. NEFF’s coverage dropped from 14% to 11%, while the LPM also saw its media coverage drop from 12% to 8%.
Media monitoring
During his presentation, Nakuta said the project serves as a critical tool in assessing how both legacy and online media are covering key issues during the election season.
“By analysing the content disseminated through various media platforms, the project aims to ensure that the media adheres to its ethical obligations, providing the public with reliable and unbiased information necessary for informed participation in the democratic process,” he said.
Debates over the role of the media during election season remain as fierce as ever. Swapo routinely accuses the independent media of being anti-government, while opposition parties frequently question the editorial independence of the public media, alleging that public media houses are Swapo propaganda tools.
The media monitoring initiative is also aimed at improving the self-regulation of the Namibian media.
Sponsorship support
FES Media of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation sponsored the project to the tune of over N$235 000, while the Deutsche Welle Academy and the European Union contributed close to N$200 000, which was made possible after the Institute for Public Policy Research and the Namibia Media Trust released donation money that had initially been earmarked for them.
Meanwhile, between the United Nations Development Programme and Unesco, the project received over N$183 000 in funding support.
The media ombudsman, who has contracted independent agency NaMedia, will produce six reports on a monthly basis in which the Namibian media will be analysed in terms of what has been published, which politicians or parties have been covered and how the content has been received by the public.
Spearheaded by the media ombudsman, the results show a notable increase in election coverage overall, with opposition parties receiving slightly more media coverage compared to past elections.
Media ombudsman Dr John Nakuta released the second 2024 Elections Media Monitoring Report in Windhoek on Thursday last week.
He indicated that the project also found that “lack of agenda setting by political parties is still observable".
Trends observed
The data, collected during the ongoing election campaign, suggests that out of 7 779 electoral statements covered by the media between July and August, 2 789 were in reference to Swapo, followed by the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM, 1 301), Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF, 969), Affirmative Repositioning (AR, 559) and the Landless People's Movement (LPM, 702).
Between June and July, Swapo received the lion's share of news coverage with 43%, followed by NEFF (14%), LPM (12%), and Nudo (9%), while the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) and PDM stood at 6% coverage, respectively.
During the period July and August, Swapo continued hogging the headlines despite its coverage dropping to 32%, followed by PDM, which saw its coverage jump to 19%. NEFF’s coverage dropped from 14% to 11%, while the LPM also saw its media coverage drop from 12% to 8%.
Media monitoring
During his presentation, Nakuta said the project serves as a critical tool in assessing how both legacy and online media are covering key issues during the election season.
“By analysing the content disseminated through various media platforms, the project aims to ensure that the media adheres to its ethical obligations, providing the public with reliable and unbiased information necessary for informed participation in the democratic process,” he said.
Debates over the role of the media during election season remain as fierce as ever. Swapo routinely accuses the independent media of being anti-government, while opposition parties frequently question the editorial independence of the public media, alleging that public media houses are Swapo propaganda tools.
The media monitoring initiative is also aimed at improving the self-regulation of the Namibian media.
Sponsorship support
FES Media of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation sponsored the project to the tune of over N$235 000, while the Deutsche Welle Academy and the European Union contributed close to N$200 000, which was made possible after the Institute for Public Policy Research and the Namibia Media Trust released donation money that had initially been earmarked for them.
Meanwhile, between the United Nations Development Programme and Unesco, the project received over N$183 000 in funding support.
The media ombudsman, who has contracted independent agency NaMedia, will produce six reports on a monthly basis in which the Namibian media will be analysed in terms of what has been published, which politicians or parties have been covered and how the content has been received by the public.
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