Media ombudsman John Nakuta has released the first Media Monitoring Report for the November 27 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
The data contained in the report was obtained over thirty days spanning June 20 to July 20 and covers the pre-election period, including the election process itself and the post-election phase.
According to Nakuta, the report found that the ruling Swapo Party received over 40% coverage.
He said the ruling party released over 800 statements, the highest compared to other political parties during the period under review, and has received significant media coverage from the nbc, New Era, and The Namibian newspaper.
"In terms of the period under review, the slide indicates the number of statements by political parties: for the Swapo Party, 860 statements, that represents 41%; 277 statements for the NEFF, and that is 13% for LPM 241, 11%; NUDO 174, representing 8%; and RDP 137, representing 7%. PDM 125, which represents a mere 6%, and IPC 123 represents 6%."
Nakuta explained that the implementation of content analysis involves several key steps.
He said these steps include data collection, coding, and analysis. Researchers collect samples of media content relevant to the research objective using various sampling techniques.
"By analysing the content disseminated through the various platforms, this project aims to ensure that the media adheres to its ethical obligations, providing the public with reliable and unbiased information necessary to inform participation in the democratic process."
Nakuta said the absence of clear agenda-setting by political parties has led to reactive media coverage, explaining that political parties have failed to set clear agendas for the 2024 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
He used the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters as an example, noting that the party during the period under review received significant media coverage not necessarily due to a strong political message but rather because of internal issues that generated news.