Reporting and Writing IIElections

• Some elect all councillors at once, every four years

• Others elect a proportion of councillors every year

Elections are always Thursdays, by convention not law.If it’s a general election year, then local and national polls will usually be on same day.

• Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011

• Five year terms• Elections held first Thursday of

May• Next one on May 7, 2015

Unless:• Vote of no confidence in govt• 2/3 of MPs vote for an election

National Local

UK Elections - timing

Elections

Timing used to be set by government for political advantage – fixed terms change that.

All parties can now see the election date coming in advance and prepare for it.

2010 timetable

March Cameron, Clegg and Brown all started making campaign visits toraise profile

April 6 Brown announced the date of the election and visited the Queen

April 8 MPs and party top brass meet todecide what laws still in the bookscan be passed before Parlt. Ends

April 12 Parliament dissolvedApril 15 First TV debateApril 20 Candidates registration deadlineApril 22 Second TV debateApril 29 Final TV debateMay 6 Election day

Tuesday, April 7 2015

David Cameron gets in a car at Downing Street and goes to Buckingham Palace… the election is about to be called… What happens next? What happens to the government?

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Election call

Cameron goes to the Queen By modern custom, the

election is announced to the press, not to the Commons.

He announces the date that Parliament will dissolve, the date of the election and the date that Parliament will resume with a new government.

Wash up

Bills not passed before the dissolution will be lost – so things get frantic.

In 1997, 36 bills passed into law in the final days of the Parliamentary session.

17 bills were passed on April 7 and 8 2010, including: Digital Economy Act passed with

clause allowing sites to be blocked in the UK if they spread “copyright material” – despite fears it would affect WikiLeaks.

Ban on under-18s using tanning salons in the UK.

MPs and commentators criticised the 2010 process for being too rushed.

MPsNo longer sit in Parliament – they are now free to fight their local election campaigns.

Monday, April 13 - dissolution

Government ministersDo continue to do their work, respond to crises and oversee government performance.

Policy announcementsStop – no major or controversial announcements are made in the six weeks leading up to a General Election, known as purdah.

Purdah

It is not a legal embargo but it is an important part of our election conventions.

Civil servants and public authorities do not want to be seen to endorse political views or parties.

They also do not want to bring in controversial policies that may be reversed weeks later by a new government.

What it means

All major policy announcements postponed until after the electionUNLESS a decision is urgent in the national interest, or there is a threat of public money being wasted.

Authorities also do not put out information that may have a political aspect – e.g. statements from MPs/councillors on matters of policyIn 2010 that included a warning about using social media for anything other than factual information about public services

Tuesday, April 21

Deadline for nominations and for voter registration.

Elections in each constituency are managed by a Returning Officer.They are employed by the borough/district council (usually chief exec)The local council releases basic candidate info, and runs the count.

Candidates: what you get

The Returning Officer will supply name and party affiliation. That’s it.

In 2010 the Christian Party nominated Heidi Simmonds in Maidstone. She never talked to the press, and we never had a picture of her face.

She got fewer votes than the National Front (131, against 643)

• Leaflets• Websites• Could have local party structure

or national support, e.g. Green Party, BNP, UKIP, English Dem

• Often not organised, with poor communication channels

• Can be reluctant to talk because of media inexperience

Election newsletters Campaign managers Websites Leaflets Polls Local party structure

Plus In key areas, they may host visits

from party big-wigs.

Major parties Minor parties

Candidates – sources

ConservativeName:

Gillchester constituency

LabourName:

Liberal DemocratName:

Green PartyName: Dr Geoffrey StewartFormer NHS policy adviser, runs a local farmer’s market. Has also run for local council positions.

Candidates - others

National FrontName: Dave ButlerNo political experience. Lives on troubled local estate. Works as a security guard at Tesco.

UKIPName: Henry DeFroandAccountant. Stood in 2010 election in Ashford. Has also stood for local council positions.

The campaign

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Gordon Brown visits Morrisons at Strood on April 6, 2010.This was his first photo-op of the campaign – he had announced the election on the steps of Downing Street that morning.

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David Cameron visits Maidstone, March 28 2010Before the election was called.

National coverage

Heavily based on broadcast media Politicians use TV and radio to talk directly to voters, knowing print

media will pick up the quotes Will use agencies to get words and pictures from campaign tour

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Electioneering

Questions for each one:

Does it have news value? Are there any legal issues? Are there any ethical issues? What would you do?

Get into three teams. Each team is a newspaper, covering this election campaign.

You have received three pieces of campaign material.

Green Party

How far can a candidate go in criticising an opponent?

Legal issues?

Ethical issues?

Is it a story?

Nat Front

An exact transcript of an election leaflet sent out in Maidstone in 2010.

Legal issues?

Ethical issues?

Is it a story?

UKIP

Legal problems?

Ethical problems?

Is it a story?

Defamation

There is protection against defamation for press conferences, speeches and official election literature.It is qualified privilege.

Reports must be fair and balanced

They must be accurate

It’s not our job just to repeat election propaganda – even if it’s legally safe to do so.

Boris Johnson was accused of libel over an election leaflet which said “Not Ken again”Bob Crow, gen sec of the RMT, said Boris’ claims that Ken would increase Council Tax and waste money would “adversely effect his re-election chances.” A judge threw out the claim - saying it was all a part of the election process.

Defamation

In October 2007 the Daily Mail published a profile of Lib Dem MP Evan Harris – labelling him Dr Death.He advocated embryo experiments, assisted suicide and freer abortion laws.They described him as an “isolated loner” in the Commons.

During the 2010 election campaign the monicker “Dr Death” was picked up in election leaflets by Christian activists.Harris was defeated by a Conservative candidate and blamed it on a “defamatory campaign”.The case did not go to court.

Defamation

Click icon to add picture The Oxford Mail reported the

controversy with restraint. The “Dr Death” label was

mentioned, but immediately followed by a quote from Harris defending his voting record on medical ethics.

Criticisms were also reported from the Animal Protection Party.

But the story mentioned the party’s spokesman had previously been jailed for arson attacks on animal export vehicles, too.

Thursday, April 23 - debate

Hustings are held in many constituencies – often organised by local press. The KM’s one in 2010 was held at a pub, with nibbles… Which candidates will you invite to the Gillchester hustings? What happens if an important one is reluctant to attend?

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Reporting fairly

BroadcastersDo have to be impartial. Efforts are made to give equal weighting to stories about all parties.

In the PM debates, only three parties were represented BUT the BBC held regional debates to air the views of Plaid Cymru, the SNP, and Northern Ireland parties.Other parties, e.g. Green Party and UKIP, were given exposure in other non-debate programmes.

Newspapers have no obligation to be impartial in an election campaign.

Parties can be frozen out, endorsed, campaigned against or ridiculed – within the limits of the law of defamation.

The Gillchester hustings

Audience

Stay in your three teams from earlier.Team 1 – you are a national tabloidTeam 2 – national broadsheetTeam 3 – local newspaper

You must make a decision on whether to endorse a candidate, which one to choose, and why.

The condensed version – a very brief statement from each candidate on why you should vote for them.

Endorsements

Click icon to add pictureNational papersReflect a readership with a political identity – e.g. The Sun aims to represent the views of the average worker and will attempt to tell readers which party serves their interests.

Local papersReflect a politically diverse readership with a strong geographical identity – and will attempt to tell parties how best to serve the interests of the area.

Election day

Polling stations open at 7am and close at 10pm Your election registration form tells you where to go to vote Happily, the Gillchester polling station is here at the centre… But first - how does coverage work on the day?

Click icon to add pictureThursdayMay 7 2015

• Not allowed inside polling stations, unless it’s to vote!

• Secret ballot process must be upheld – so don’t try to look at any ballot papers.

• Can question people outside, but don’t harass voters.

• Not a lot of point polling if you don’t do it properly (e.g. a small-sample voxpop).

• Tellers work for political parties, and record the electoral number of voters after they have voted. They use this to identify people who have not voted, and encourage them to do so.

• Pollsters – outside some polling stations, asking how people have voted for exit polls.

Tellers & Pollsters Media

Interviews & Polls

Pictures

Not inside polling stations – except sometimes, with permission in advance – but can be taken outside

Note: people may not be happy to be photographed But pics can be important – e.g. this shot of queues in Sheffield in

2010, where voters were turned away at 10pm and denied their right to vote.

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Types of polls

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RandomAnyone can be asked, so the result is rarely representative of a wider trend.

QuotaPeople recruited to the poll to reflect a certain desired demographic range – so that 1,000 people can better represent national views

Open or “Voodoo”Self-selecting – poll of people who log on to a website etc. Cannot draw wider conclusions.

Don’t report Voodoo pollsYou can’t draw conclusions if you know nothing about the sample base – it’s the reason why polls quoted in cosmetic adverts are a waste of time

Three tips

Remember margin of errorPolls are based on small samples, which means there is a margin of error when drawing wider conclusions. If a poll shows the Tories 2% ahead, then the poll is really saying the race is neck-and-neck.

Be wary of small sample sizesIf only 100 people have been asked something, it cannot be used to draw a national conclusion. Also be wary of crossbreaks – i.e. conclusions drawn from one small set of the people polled (e.g. just women or men).

Election day

Click icon to add picturePolling stations are now open – go and vote!

The count

Usually held the night of the vote.Often at a sports centre or conference hall.Votes are counted in wards, on long banks of tables.Results start trickling in after midnight.

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Access to the count

CandidatesYES – they will generally all be there, and you can interview them in the hall.They will be lined up on a stage when results are announced.

Public

NO – counts are invitation-only. Press need to sort out accreditation in advance.

Rules You can mingle, but don’t

interfere with vote-counters. Keep away from ballot papers Talk as much as you can to

candidates, agents and officials.

MediaReporters – will usually have internet access and a designated area for filing from.Photographers – allowed, but no close-ups of the ballots.

Count trivia

Colour pieces

Election night isn’t just about numbers and winners.Look out for details that can make your report more entertaining.

E.g. Buckets of bananasOr the Looney’s policy for reducing unemployment queues…

All spoiled ballots must be seen by the Returning Officer – including obscene pictures and slogans.

Counts usually have a licensed bar. It’s one of many reasons why it’s best to do your interviews with candidates on the spot, rather than waiting until the next day.

Results

Candidate Party Result

Tracey CROUCH Con 20,230

Jonathan SHAW* Lab 14,161

John McCLINTOCK Lib Dem 5,832

Steve NEWTON UKIP 1,314

Sean VARNHAM Eng Dem 400

Dave ARTHUR Green 396

Will be read out by the Returning Officer.

Will also be posted on a noticeboard somewhere in the hall – but after a delay.

Make sure you’re on the spot to get the result first.

* Denotes sitting candidate

In practice

The Kent Messenger used Cover It Live to blog the 2010 election.

The feed can still be seen at http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2010/may/6/election_live_2010.aspx

It shows the mix of the serious and absurd sleep-deprived journalism that characterises election night.

Maidstone election live 2010…0.01am Looney turns up with

bananas0.18am BBC reports police called to deal

with trouble at the count.0.20am There was no voting trouble –

live two-way on kmfm0.25am Trouble may have been in

Maidenhead, say BBC.0.55am Labour agent admits vote is low -

update sent to KentOnline1.27am Paul Carter, KCC leader, spotted in

Tweed jacket. Update sent.2.47am Lib Dems celebrate surprise win

in local council election seat - update sent

3.44am Tories hold Maidstone seat with reduced majority – update sent

4.41am Tories hold Faversham and MidKent

In practice

The national picture

Jeremy Vine and Jon Snow can only do their swingometer stuff because of reporters doing this work at counts across the country.

The BBC, Sky and ITN cherry-pick the most interesting counts (vulnerable MPs, leaders etc) for their own reporters, and then make sure they have a way to get results from the rest.

After the result File figures to KentOnline and kmfm File c100 words to KentOnline

Interview winners and losers (losers will be leaving pretty quickly)

Update online copy with any quotes

5am Drive back to the office

File 400 words with full reaction to Kent Messenger website for Maidstone, and for the paper.

Get pictures into the system and available for both versions.

Edit and publish copy from other counts on the patch.