The Argentine Journalism Forum (FOPEA in Spanish) proposed 12 recommendations for covering the Aug. 14, 2011, primary elections. This will be Argentina's first time conducting primary elections to chose the candidates for each political party before the Oct. 23 general elections. The October elections will decide the president, vice president, representatives and senators for some provinces.
Click here to download the PDF (in Spanish) and read the full list of recommendations and reference sites for journalists.
Here's a summary of the report's recommendations:
*Analyzing a candidate should not be limited to interviews or their press releases alone. What the candidate says is not as important as what they did in the past.
*It's important to report about a candidate's income and assets. Consult affidavits or sworn statements, or by request a sworn statement about their property.
* Verify that their resume is true.
* Report on the campaign trail. Don't simply report what the candidate said and list the number of people present. The events themselves can illustrate the nature of the campaign, open new sources into the candidate's support network and their ideological coherence (or lack thereof).
* Arriving before an event and watching which groups come and go can illuminate the support a candidate or party receives and the characteristics of the event's organizers, the attendees and their level of spontaneity.
* Analyzing campaign finances is an excellent indicator of the candidate's future performance as a public representative. It's journalism's job to publish and demand this information if it's not available. Also include the finances from previous campaigns. FOPEA recommends Dinero y Política and Poder Cuidadano for this information.
* Journalists should have their own questions and not leave setting the agenda to the candidates.
