OSCE/ODIHR: TV devotes 90% of news coverage to Lukashenka

Most news TV programmes cover the activity of the dictator.

Other presidential candidates have received insignificant news coverage. The tone of the coverage was either negative or neutral, says the Interim Report of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Election Observation Mission, TUT.by reports.

This is the second interim report of the OSCE/ODIHR mission analyzing the situation in the county in the period from November 25 to December 5.

The media monitoring shoes that State TV channels have not provided balanced information about the candidates’ activities and platforms in news and information programmes.

“News coverage is dominated by extensive reporting on the President’s activities, with a notable tendency to reflect positively on his work, while critical opinions and comments on his performance are generally absent. By contrast, other candidates have received marginal news coverage, often referred to as a group rather than as individual candidates, without their names being mentioned,” the report says.

The experts of the OSCE/ODIHR mission note since the beginning of the official campaign period, the State TV’s First Channel devoted some 86 per cent of its political and election-related news coverage to the President. The tone of the coverage was positive or neutral. In more than half of this news coverage, President Lukashenka was able to address viewers directly. By comparison, the other candidates received a combined total of 14 per cent of the coverage. The tone was overwhelmingly negative or neutral.

The observer saw a similar picture with state-controlled TV Channels ONT and STV, each devoting more than 90 per cent of their news coverage to President Lukashenka.

As for coverage of political and election news by the printed media, the representatives of the OSCE/ODIHR mission say: “State-funded newspapers have so far demonstrated a clear bias in favor of the incumbent.”