WeeklySA_AdminPolls: Editors must approach the reporting of opinion polls with a commitment to journalistic integrity
By Monk Nkomo
Recent opinion polls, most of which, if not all, have been met with scepticism by politicians and a number of ordinary members of the public, should be approached with meticulous scrutiny by media platforms as most of them do not paint the full picture of the electorate’s views.
This is the warning by the South African National Editors’ Forum ( SANEF) who called upon editors and journalists to uphold the highest standards of accuracy, fairness and balance in their reporting especially with the national and provincial elections due to be held next month. The organization, whose members comprise editors, senior journalists and journalism trainers, said they had noted the recent release of several polls about the upcoming elections as well as the popularity of certain politicians and political parties.
‘’ In recent weeks, there has been a proliferation of election polls, with some of these leaving a lot to be desired when it comes to their depth audience reach and what exactly they want to achieve. We urge all editors and journalists to approach the reporting of opinion polls with meticulous scrutiny and a commitment to journalistic integrity’’, SANEF said in a statement.
Opinion polls, if not handled with care, have the potential to sway public perception and influence electoral outcomes significantly. SANEF called on their members to be mindful in their reporting and analysis of these election polls. They wanted to see audiences that engaged and followed credible news media making better decisions.
The warning also followed concerns raised by a number of voters and politicians who cast doubt on the authenticity of these latest polls which suggested that certain politicians and parties were gaining momentum while others were losing ground as the election mood gets into full swing. The results of these surveys have been dismissed by many because they lacked depth including where and when the polls were conducted, the ages and racial group of those interviewed.
‘’ Our scepticism as journalists should determine that most of these polls do not paint the full picture of what the electorate says or would decide, hence we always need to dig deeper and ask tougher questions when it comes to these election polls’’, SANEF said.
Newsrooms, they added, should always be mindful that the electorate expects well-informed and researched news pieces and these are audiences that should always be prioritized in the reporting of news.
‘’ The accuracy, methodology and timing of polls, among other things, are what we should always consider as the news media. As the election season has started , the news media will be under extreme pressure, yet we should always strive to put our audiences first and consider their shifting opinions.’’ The weeks leading up to the elections are marked by heightened political discourse, varying opinions and the dissemination of numerous polls and surveys.
‘’ While these polls serve as valuable indicators of public sentiment, SANEF emphasizes the need for caution and vigilance in their reporting’’.
