POLITICAL REPORTING introduction
One of the primary roles of journalism in our society is to act as a “watchdog” for the public on governmental activities. The idea of the “watchdog” means that journalists, as independent observers without a vest interest in any side of a controversy, can tell the public what is going on, particularly if the government is incompetent or corrupt.
The press does not play this role flawlessly.
When political candidates hit the campaign trail, they can generate a lot of excitement and interest. Political events are often very lively and colorful, and reporters are there to record what happens.
Much of what you read and hear in the news media does take a side in a controversy. Still, a great many journalists – many doing so without a lot of fanfare – are trying to fulfill their role as the watchdog on government.
They are political and public affairs journalists, and their importance and centrality to the profession has never been questioned.
They are important because politics is so important, and it dominates much of the public knowledge and common pool of information that individuals in our society share. Think about the following things:
— political activity and election campaigns
— government structure and actions
— public policy questions on economic, cultural, environmental and social questions
— the legal system including police and courts, both criminal and civil.
These and many other aspects of public affairs are the kinds of things that political and public affairs journalists cover.
In America, all public issues and questions eventually become political questions. (And, as Alexis de Tocqueville, the 19th century French writer and famous observer of America, once wrote: “There is hardly a political question in the United States which does not sooner or later turn into a judicial one.”) Even religious and cultural questions often turn political with one side trying to impose their idea of morality and good behavior on another
The money involved in political and public affairs is beyond imagination. The U.S. government in the fall of 2008 and winter of 2009 – when George W. Bush was leaving the presidency and Barack Obama was being inaugurated – proposed a stimulus package for the economy that amounted to more than $700 billion. And this is only a fraction of what the federal, state and local governments and authorities collect and spend every year.
Beyond the money, the government has constant and important impact on our lives – what we do, where we are educated, how we travel and communication, when we make decisions, and on and on. Think about how many times you come in contact with the government – getting a driver’s license, enrolling in school, paying taxes. The government is intimately involved in your life whether you realize it or not.
One of the primary roles of journalism in our society is to act as a “watchdog” for the public on governmental activities. The idea of the “watchdog” means that journalists, as independent observers without a vest interest in any side of a controversy, can tell the public what is going on, particularly if the government is incompetent or corrupt.
The press does not play this role flawlessly.
When political candidates hit the campaign trail, they can generate a lot of excitement and interest. Political events are often very lively and colorful, and reporters are there to record what happens.
Much of what you read and hear in the news media does take a side in a controversy. Still, a great many journalists – many doing so without a lot of fanfare – are trying to fulfill their role as the watchdog on government.
They are political and public affairs journalists, and their importance and centrality to the profession has never been questioned.
They are important because politics is so important, and it dominates much of the public knowledge and common pool of information that individuals in our society share. Think about the following things:
— political activity and election campaigns
— government structure and actions
— public policy questions on economic, cultural, environmental and social questions
— the legal system including police and courts, both criminal and civil.
These and many other aspects of public affairs are the kinds of things that political and public affairs journalists cover.
In America, all public issues and questions eventually become political questions. (And, as Alexis de Tocqueville, the 19th century French writer and famous observer of America, once wrote: “There is hardly a political question in the United States which does not sooner or later turn into a judicial one.”) Even religious and cultural questions often turn political with one side trying to impose their idea of morality and good behavior on another
The money involved in political and public affairs is beyond imagination. The U.S. government in the fall of 2008 and winter of 2009 – when George W. Bush was leaving the presidency and Barack Obama was being inaugurated – proposed a stimulus package for the economy that amounted to more than $700 billion. And this is only a fraction of what the federal, state and local governments and authorities collect and spend every year.
Beyond the money, the government has constant and important impact on our lives – what we do, where we are educated, how we travel and communication, when we make decisions, and on and on. Think about how many times you come in contact with the government – getting a driver’s license, enrolling in school, paying taxes. The government is intimately involved in your life whether you realize it or not.
Legislators and government officials spent your money and make decisions about what you can do and what opportunities you have. As a citizen, you need political journalists to help keep watch on what they do. As a political journalist, you can be part of providing that valuable service.
Beyond its importance and the money involved, many people go into political journalism because it is exciting and because of the personalities involved in politics. Election campaigns are particularly exciting, and if you ever get the chance to attend a national convention of a major political party, you should do so. The enthusiasm, ardor and sometime quirky personalities of people active in politics are an endless source of interesting and instructive stories that journalists love to tell, both to themselves and to their readers.
How do you get started as a political reporter?
This may seem daunting to a high school student, but it really isn’t. Most governmental meetings are open to the public, and anyone can attend. (There’s no admission charge.) What you hear and see at these meetings will teach you a lot of government and the way it operates.
If you attend a meeting, prepare to be bored to some extent. A lot of the business that is conducted will be routine, and you may not fully understand what is happening. Because of that, it’s best to prepare. Find out as much as you can about the meeting and its agenda – the list of items that the governmental body will discuss – as possible.
These meetings get more interesting when citizens are allow to speak, and there is usually time set aside for people to say what they have to say. If you go to a zoning board or school board meeting, you are like to see a lot of people there who want to offer their opinions to the board about actions they are about to take
Remember that anything that is said at these meetings can be included in a news report. You don’t have ask anyone’s permission. You should ask the people involved in the meeting to explain things to you to help you understand what is happening.
Here are some other things that you can attend to help get your feet wet as a political reporter:
Election rallies
Trials and court hearings
Press conferences
The public affairs reporter performs a valuable job for journalism, the public and democracy. The need for people who understand politics and public affairs and who can write about them so that others understand them will never diminish.IMPORTANCE OF POLITICAL REPORTING
Beyond its importance and the money involved, many people go into political journalism because it is exciting and because of the personalities involved in politics. Election campaigns are particularly exciting, and if you ever get the chance to attend a national convention of a major political party, you should do so. The enthusiasm, ardor and sometime quirky personalities of people active in politics are an endless source of interesting and instructive stories that journalists love to tell, both to themselves and to their readers.
How do you get started as a political reporter?
This may seem daunting to a high school student, but it really isn’t. Most governmental meetings are open to the public, and anyone can attend. (There’s no admission charge.) What you hear and see at these meetings will teach you a lot of government and the way it operates.
If you attend a meeting, prepare to be bored to some extent. A lot of the business that is conducted will be routine, and you may not fully understand what is happening. Because of that, it’s best to prepare. Find out as much as you can about the meeting and its agenda – the list of items that the governmental body will discuss – as possible.
These meetings get more interesting when citizens are allow to speak, and there is usually time set aside for people to say what they have to say. If you go to a zoning board or school board meeting, you are like to see a lot of people there who want to offer their opinions to the board about actions they are about to take
Remember that anything that is said at these meetings can be included in a news report. You don’t have ask anyone’s permission. You should ask the people involved in the meeting to explain things to you to help you understand what is happening.
Here are some other things that you can attend to help get your feet wet as a political reporter:
Election rallies
Trials and court hearings
Press conferences
The public affairs reporter performs a valuable job for journalism, the public and democracy. The need for people who understand politics and public affairs and who can write about them so that others understand them will never diminish.IMPORTANCE OF POLITICAL REPORTING
Politics takes up between eighty and ninety per cent of the allotted space to news in the average newspaper, daily or weekly, on a given day or week. The biggest news makers are invariably politicians, in or out of government. They may not always make the news but they are always part of the news. A natural disaster, such as an earthquake or a hurricane makes news by itself and by the reaction of the politician to it.
Editors and reporters cultivate politicians as regular sources of news. Some of politicians are generous men and women. They never say no to a reporter. All that a reporter needs to do to start them gushing forth is to ask them for an interview. Or they even ask to be interviewed because their weighty and wise views on the issues of the moment are dying to get out.
Despite the mutual interdependence between the politician and the reporter, both of them have different objectives or agenda. The politician is in the business of marketing himself; the reporter is in the business of informing the public. The politician ‘employs’ the reporter to market him in his medium by what he says about himself, his political party or the government in power. His strategy is a fine combination of public relations and a strong sales pitch.
1:Politicians are the live wire of the news media. Think for a moment of what would happen to the news media – print and electronic – if all the politicians padlocked their lips. There would be no news and no newspapers, radio or television. The good news is that politicians never yield to the diabolical temptation of padlocking their lips. They never go on strike; therefore, we can safely rely on them to keep talking and thus making the news. News is the staple of the news media.
KEY POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
1:Activities of the main stream political parties
Government policies and their impacts on daily life. what main stream political parties are up to? what are their goals and objectives towards the political atmosphere of the country. Their agenda towards country's future.
political parties play a significant role in articulating citizens' aspirations. Upon gaining people's support and electoral trust, they serve as a vital link between the state and society. However, Pakistan's elitist political scene portrays a totally different picture. There are over 90 fringe political parties cherishing religious and nationalist ethos and less than a dozen mainstream political parties struggling for breathing space to survive. Though the country appears to be fertile land for growth of political parties, owing to multiple factors, very few would fit into any strict definition of a proper political organization.
According to Weiner
(1962), political system of any country depends on the fact that who is controlling
and allocating the resources
2: Activities of opposition party?parties
opposition parties are the essential part of the parliamentary system. They work as a watch dog with in parliament. The future of a government totally depends upon the strategy of any opposition party. strong opposition is consider as a fair form of democracy. opposition leader keeps and eye over the political activities policies of the government . the main role of opposition is to inform people about the pros and cons of policies of government. they dont allow government to change the legislation or they criticise the totally new implemented law .recent example of this is the cyber crime bill which was proposed by the previous government and the opposition opposed the bill and didnt allow the implementation of this act.
Reporting of a political even
When political candidates hit the campaign trail, they can generate a lot of excitement and interest. Political events are often very lively and colorful, and reporters are there to record what happens.
3:Politics of the political Alliances
definitely the political alliance can change the whole political senerio specially when the government is in a weak position. a new political alliance could become the worst situation for the government. for example this PTI government has a very low majority a new political alliance can shake the government. a good reporter has to keep an eye over the politics of all parties and must smell the political upset before everyone else.
4: Political allies become political foes
it is also a possible fact that parties can change their allies for their own agendas and possible benefits they can have after getting rid of any existing alliance with any party.
2:. Every season is a political season
We do not have political seasons. Every season is a political season. But we do have election seasons. These are the most important political seasons here and in every country. They are the periods during which power is fought for, gained or lost. They are not often peaceful seasons. Heads and limbs do get broken; lives do get snuffed out.
5: agitation movements and its purpose
long marches , agitation movements basic purpose is to pressurize the government . inform and influence people over certain issues ,provoking them to support the cause or agenda of particular political party. in case of any ongoing movement every single step taken by government and every stance or attitude of the party holding the agitation movement
6: politics of long marches
7: APC and MPC
goals
1:to develop consensus on major political issue2: to presurize government
3: strategy or deal with crisis
8:public rallies and meetings
CHALLENGES FOR POLITICAL REPORTING
Social Accountability: What questions should you ask yourself before you tweet a contentious political bite? With the growing pressure to build a personal brand and engage authentically, how much of yourself is strategic to reveal across your personal and professional networks? How do you contextualize memes, trendings and likes in your reporting? How do you respond when your work is characterized in a way not consistent with its intent?
Digital and visual: How can you be sure your cool data visualizations don’t oversimplify? What are the best ways to aggregate information without plagiarizing or generalizing? What are important ethical guidelines when you’re editing politically potent video? What about when you’re reporting on potentially unethically edited clips?
Transparency and privacy: With the growing expectation that anything politicians say in public could instantly spread around the world, are journalists always obliged to identify themselves as reporters? What, if anything, should still be considered private to a candidate or official?
Neutrality: This concept is on the way out, but the recognition that we all carry assumptions is in. How do you learn what biases you bring to a story? What do you do with that knowledge? How do you know if it’s affecting your reporting?
Fact-checking: Bill Adair, the “father of Politifact,” told the ethics conference that 2012 is becoming the year of the fact-checker. What are the best practices for journalists to call out misconstrued facts, or outright lies, in reporting and while interviewing? What are the best ways for the public to hold reporters accountable? Should TV stations reveal how much money they earn from political ads? Should they refuse to air ads that make untrue claims? What are the best ways to get away from he said/she said journalism?
Covering polls: Many political reports mention the margin of error pollsters identify in their own work, but what other best practices can help put horserace numbers in the right context? Should there be a standard ranking of the value of different polls based on what information the pollsters are willing to release?
Inclusion and representation: If “feminism is way more volatile for a lot of people than ‘liberal’,” as Pulitzer prize-winning columnist Connie Schultz told the Poynter Kent State workshop crowd, should political sources quoted roughly match the gender and racial balance among the electorate, or among those in power? If you want to broaden the range of sources you speak to, what are smart ways to start?
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