Mapping Project Charts Media Influence in Elections

							Mapping Project Charts Media Influence in Elections
IFEX, International Freedom of Expression eXchange
February 28, 2006

For democracies to work, it is commonly accepted that citizens need to have access to a wide range of
information enabling them to participate fully in public life. During elections, equitable access to the media
by all candidates and political parties during a campaign is a key part of this process.

However, there is a growing concern that in many countries in the Western Hemisphere, mass media
outlets are profiting on elections by charging high prices for advertising slots and giving wealthy
candidates an unfair advantage over less well-endowed opponents, according to the authors of a new
project entitled "Mapping the Media in the Americas."

The Canadian Foundation for the Americas (FOCAL), the Carter Center and the University of Calgary have
launched a three-year initiative aimed at raising awareness of media influence during elections and
empowering citizens and policymakers to reform political finance laws and practices regarding media
access.

"Mapping the Media in the Americas" is a free online tool that illustrates where the media are located,
which electoral districts they reach, and who owns the media in 12 Western Hemispheric countries.

Users will be able to click on a specific country or area and bring up additional information on registration
and voting patterns, population and language use, socio-economic strata and education levels, as well as
information on political finance. There also links on related issues, such as regulations governing use of
the media during campaigns, civil society groups? estimates of the value of political advertising, and
contact information for organizations working to reform campaign finance.

So far, maps of Canada and Peru have been completed. Upcoming maps will cover Guatemala, the
Dominican Republic, Chile, Mexico, Jamaica, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Uruguay and Panama.

The project's partners say the maps will enable researchers to better understand the impact of media
messages on voting patterns, and allow electoral authorities to identify parts of the country that do not
have adequate access to the media.

Once all of the maps are completed, the project partners will meet with media owners, editors, and
journalists in the 12 countries to confirm the maps' accuracy, encourage corporate social responsibility
and build support for government reform. They will also hold public education seminars to promote the
online maps and generate public support for reform.

The project partners will then meet with government officials, electoral and judicial authorities, and
legislative leaders to urge implementation and enforcement of laws and policies that allow for equitable
access to the media.