‘There is no explicit media bias against any political party or candidate’

During the launch, the project's lead consultant, Mr. Christie Keulder, emphasised that one of the most important findings is that there is no media bias towards the ruling party (SWAPO). The third media monitoring report, which covers the period from 21 August to 20 September 2024, also shows that there is a diverse coverage of election themes and issues, as well as a high volume of election coverage by all media outlets.

However, the report also reveals that political parties did not proactively implement a media strategy and that women's issues were under-represented in election coverage. Furthermore, Media Ombudsman John Nakuta criticised the lack of in-depth journalism on election issues.

The report also covers key metrics like the Issue Diversity Index (IDI) and statement-to-size ratios which are essential for evaluating the quality and fairness of media coverage. Together, these metrics provide a comprehensive picture of media performance during elections. They help in evaluating whether the media fulfills its role in promoting informed voter decision-making and maintaining a balanced democratic process.

Trends in the 2024 election coverage

This report follows two previous reports analysing election coverage from June to July and July to August. Looking at all three reports, it becomes clear that the ruling party, SWAPO receives by far the most coverage of all parties. However, the percentage of reporting on SWAPO (between 31.5 and 40.5 % of total coverage) is lower than its last election result in 2019 and therefore does not reflect favourable election coverage for the party.

In addition, the volume of election coverage for all parties (number of statements) increases as the election date approaches. The report also shows that the visibility of presidential candidates from opposition parties in the election coverage is low, as they only appear in a few statements. Although the coverage of these candidates is mostly neutral or positive, it has limited reach due to the low volume.

It is worth noting that some of the political parties such as the Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) receive predominantly “crisis coverage” throughout the monitored period. Which may not necessarily promote them as parties or what they offer to the electorate.

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung supports the Media Monitoring Project

The Media Monitoring Project is supported in close co-operation by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and fesmedia Africa as well as other national and international partners. The work of the Media Monitoring Project is closely linked to the work of the FES in Namibia and around the world. As elections are a central pillar of a democracy, it is important to ensure that media biases that may influence public perceptions and election outcomes are identified and mitigated. The media in particular have an ethical obligation to inform the electorate through fair, balanced and unbiased reporting. These values and obligations are also outlined in the Namibian Code of Ethics and Conduct.

Balanced media coverage during elections not only strengthens democratic processes, but can also contribute to greater visibility of issues such as social and gender justice, access to information and dialogue on political reform.