Media Monitoring In Belarus 2006 | Propaganda in favor of just one candidate

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MEDIA MONITORING IN BELARUS: “PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2006 COVERAGE
IN THE BELARUSIAN MASS-MEDIA”

PROPAGANDA IN FAVOR OF JUST ONE CANDIDATE

Introduction

Media situation in Belarus

Electronic data processing results

Propaganda in favor of just one candidate

Conclusions

Appendix 1

4.1. Special Projects

Prior to the election campaign State owned TV launched a number of special projects. These were a series of pop-concerts "Pure Age" and "For Belarus" staged in the biggest Belarusian cities, TV serial "Spiritual War" and a number of films such as "Agent 590" or "Warsaw Bridge". The films were directed against the opposition, which was represented as an enemy and destructive force of the Belarusian society. And pop-concerts were no doubt meant to support A.Lukashenka.

Thus, the participant to the concert "For Belarus" (ONT - All-Nation TV channel), singer Ilona Bronievickaja made little doubt as for the support of whom the concert was. She said: "…I was happy, I had a real honour to be at the stage of "Slavianski Bazar". Aliaksandr Grigorievich made his appearance. He presented to us bunches of flowers and embraced all of us. Oh, my God, I thrilled with delight! I love Belarus. For Belarus!" In the meantime, it should be noted that the project had been started prior to the official registration of candidates.

One more example is. During two days before the concert "Pure Age", which was broadcast on February 19, 2006, announcements were made, in which another singer Ina Darofejeva used to declare: "And finally we can say that we support our father of the nation!" In the meantime, the same TV channels did not launch any other projects in favor of alternative candidates, either A.Milinkievich, A.Kazulin or S.Gajdukievich.

As for the films mentioned above, they slandered not only the opposition as a non-personified subject, but also some its leaders and the single democratic candidate. Thus, the film "Empire of Satan" from the serial "Spiritual War" was actually dedicated to the United States of America, the country, which "has become a torn wound at the body of the Christian world. In this country worshiping to Satan has become an open cult". However, at the very beginning of the film there was shown one of the potential candidates for the Presidency A.Milinkievich. A voice commented: "they are ready… in a lackey way to implement any wish of governors of this country".

As one of such kind of projects there should be also considered a special issue of Sovietskaya Byelorussia published on March 15, 2006. The issue had a print run of 830 000 copies or 300.000 more than an ordinary daily circulation of the newspaper. And it was delivered even to those people who were not the newspaper's subscribers.

The issue was formally dedicated to the day of the Belarusian Constitution. The front page made readable words by A.Lukashenka: "State for the people"… this is our basic slogan, which will be our guidance in the next five years to come". At the same time this was the title of his election program. And as for the materials published in the newspaper they were just an exposition of the ideas and statements contained in the speech by A.Lukashenka at the Third Pan-Belarusian People's Congress. Almost a half of the third page of the newspaper was an article called "Color Misfortune", which heavily criticized "color revolutions", Belarusian opposition and alternative candidates without giving their family names.

4.2. Media Effects

While monitoring electronic and print media the monitors fixed the cases of serious deviations from the professional standards and principles of journalist ethics, which as a rule are indicative of a biased coverage of publicly important issues, topics or figures. These cases evaluated on the scale of highly positive or highly negative presentations are called media effects. Essentially these are the cases of emotionally charged critical remarks. The quantity of such cases conveys to what extent media are involved or not involved into the manipulation of public opinion, weather they are propaganda oriented or not. What follows are just some examples.

In the Focus of Attention, a weekly program (the First National Channel - 29.01.06) "summarized" the results of the signatures' collection campaign. At the very beginning of the item a presenter said that A. Lukashenka's team collected much more signatures for him (2 million) than any other teams. As for the other prospective candidates he stated: "The figures the other pretenders have are of another order limit. One of the pretenders even contrived to gather 700 signatures only. The others are not far from him". The names of "other pretenders" as well as the fact that A.Milinkievich, A.Kazulin and S.Gajdukievich's teams collected more than 100.000 minimum of signatures necessary for registration were not disclosed.

Radio-Fact news program broadcast on 02.02.06 at the First Channel of the National Radio. The program's item is called "New Stage of the Election Campaign: Our Comment". A journalist stated: "The opposition does not like its people", "The goal of the opposition is to do as much harm as it is possible". No comment.

After the candidates' registration took place, State owned electronic media informed voters of sociological data by the State owned Institute of Sociology and some other institutions. The data, no doubt, were in favor of A.Lukashenka. The interesting point was, however, the way of data presentation as regards alternative candidates. Thus, "Our News" program (17.02.06) gave a Rating of Trust diagram, one of the segments of which showed that 24% of voters were in favor of the alternative candidates. Reporter did not score for sound this figure. And the program "In the Focus of Attention" (19.02.06) at the First National Channel without making a picture of the same diagram commented as follows: "As for the ratings of the other pretenders for the Presidency their cumulative rating, according to the Institute of Sociology, does not exceed 3 or 4%".

P.Jakubovich, editor-in-chief of the Presidential daily Sovietskaya Byelorussia, based on his intuitions and without making any references to the facts stated in an editorial: "…I cannot get rid of a feeling that, despite his respective exterior, Milinkievich is a dangerous man" (07.02.06).

Finally, this is an example of non-logical sequence. A presenter makes a conclusion: "According to the pools, almost 90% of the population is to take part at the election. This means that the head of the State will be elected at the first round and probability to appeal against vote's results is reduced to zero" ("Our News" program - 16.03.06)

4.3. Propaganda Advertisements

According to the international standards one of the most important functions of the media before and during an election campaign is voters' education. This means explaining to them how to register, to vote, what the vote means and how and where to vote. The media should also stress the fact that vote is secret. While educating voters it is essential that the media should be politically impartial. In no way they should push the electorate towards voting for one or other candidate. During the Presidential election campaign in Belarus the voters' education was, however, far from corresponding to the international standards.

Thus, on the eve of the vote the Belarusian TV channels showed special items to remind voters about the important date in the political life of the country (they ended with a kind of poster "March 19th is the day of voting for the President of the Republic of Belarus"). Formally, these items were a part of voters' education process, but in fact these were illustrations of success of the previous policy of A.Lukashenka and, in particular, of such thesis of his election message as "stability", "welfare", "defense of peaceful life of Belarusians" etc.

4.4. State Owned and Independent Media after the Election

At the day of voting the State owned TV channels in its evening issues were actively evaluating the results of the vote. Journalists, State officials, Russian politicians, observers, head of the State and chairman of the Central Election Commission made extremely positively evaluations. These are some examples.

News program "Panorama" (19.03.06) at the First National TV Channel gave an item dedicated to the long-term observation. Journalist stated: "Practically all international observers made their positive evaluation of the Presidential election in Belarus". To support this opinion the item showed a fragment of interview with Israeli observer Mr.Feldman: "We checked, but there were no one violation at any polling station… In this respect, if to talk about democracy in Belarus, we, Israelites, have to learn much".

"Contours", a weekly program (19.03.06) at All-Nation TV channel showed in direct air a fragment of the press conference held by Mrs. L.Jarmoshyna, chairman of the Central Election Commission. She said: "The gravest violation, as the observers from the Mahilieu regional Committee of voters reported it, was the fact that the pictures of candidates for the Presidency were not put in an alphabetic order. Let me also disclose my personal judgment… To tell the truth, if we could conduct all election campaigns in such a pure way, as we did this one, I would be really happy, like a human being who implemented her mission up to the end".

In the subsequent days the character of evaluations did not change. Thus, Our News program (20.03.06) made known the evaluation exposed by the head of CIS observers Mr.Rushayla: "Observers from CIS evaluate in a positive way measures undertaken by the Central and Territorial Commissions, executive authorities, which were aimed at setting up equal conditions for the candidates for the Presidency…" And as for the comment by the vice-speaker of the Russian Duma in the news program "Panorama" (21.03.06) at the First National TV Channel, it was really short and clear: "These were brilliant elections!".

In the meantime, the same media made OSCE observers mission an object of harsh criticism. This is just one example. Presenter in the news program "Panorama" (22.03.06) stated: "Being back to their home countries, observers, who witnessed the election campaign, continue to expose their evaluations. Among them: campaign was pure, transparent and even perfect. In this light the opposite evaluations made by the OSCE mission are perceived as… nonsense by everyone, except its leadership…" It should be noted that the Belarusian State owned media did not give any time or space for the representatives of the mission to make public results of their work in Belarus in this or any other day.

Finally, the State owned media evaluated positively the election campaign coverage. For example, editor-in-chief of the Presidential daily Sovietskaya Byelorussia P.Jakubovich declared in the program "Elections 2006" (19.03.06) at All-Nation TV channel: "Our newspaper provided pretenders with equal and lawful opportunities".

As for the independent press, Belarusy i Rynok represented alternative views on the results of vote including those by the European Union and the single candidate A.Milinkievich. And as for another independent weekly Nasa Niva, having concentrated its attention on the facts of numerous arrests and detentions the weekly actually created an appropriate background for critical perception of the vote's results. Finally, Narodnaja Volia turned out to be among those 7 newspapers, which could not reach its readers before and after the voting day.

Electronic data
processing results

Media Monitoring in Belarus 2006

Conclusions