A discussion was held at the Al-Bayan Center for Planning and Studies under the title “Provincial Council Elections: Participation and Abstention – A Reading of the Media Discourse”.
The discussion was attended by Dr. Emad Jameel, head of the media team at the Independent High Electoral Commission, Dr. Adnan Al-Sarraj, head of the Iraqi Center for Media Development, as well as researcher in electoral affairs Dureid Tawfiq, and the participation of many researchers, journalists, and media professionals.
The attendees discussed the importance of political media discourse in directing the elections, as well as the weak media promotion of the upcoming provincial council elections, in addition to the problematic issues facing electoral speeches.
Al-Sarraj emphasized the need to examine the discourse and to be in line with standards that are compatible with public taste, emphasizing the importance of the absence of restrictions to avoid deviation from the specified goals, as some speeches cause media sensation due to their proximity to chaos.
Regarding the efforts of the Independent High Electoral Commission, Jameel explained that many steps that contribute to achieving a successful electoral process characterize the procedures it has taken. He confirmed that it is not the responsibility of the commission to direct the media campaign, but rather a process involving several parties.
Tawfiq added the importance of electoral knowledge for journalists, pointing to the importance of understanding the electoral context to ensure the direction of a distinguished media discourse with its value and the information it contains.
