We commend the Election Commission for rejecting the proposal of the police to limit journalists’ access to polling stations on December 30, as any such restriction placed on the media on the day would have raised serious questions about the free and fair nature of the elections.
According to a report by The Daily Star, some top and mid-level officials suggested restricting full access of journalists, as the latter apparently “hamper voting activities” and “highlight negative news.” They also argued that there should be a code of conduct for journalists, with one official even proposing that journalists cover the elections from outside the polling stations! While we concur that journalists should not obstruct polling activities, we would like to point out that, in the past, the media, rather than hinder, has actually pointed out and protested anomalies taking place in the polling stations, thereby ensuring transparency in the electoral process. A lot of these irregularities, we might add, took place in the very presence of law enforcement agents. Had the media not been allowed, would the citizens of this country have been duly informed of the violations of electoral codes, irregularities in the electoral process and misconduct by officials and political activists during the past elections? We think not.
The idea of prohibiting access to journalists on Election Day is an affront to democratic practices and principles. Sadly, in the past, journalists have been harassed while on duty, and attempts have even been made to throw them out of polling stations. We urge the EC to ensure that no such incident takes place this time and that journalists are granted unrestricted access.
Source: The Daily Star
