Palestine: Evaluating the media

Filastiniyat, an independent, non-partisan Palestinian NGO conducted its 2006 Parliamentary Election Media Monitoring Project to systematically monitor the media coverage of the 25 January Legislative Council Elections. Local monitors conducted monitoring of selected media outlets during the official campaign period from 3 January to 23 January 2005 in Ramallah.

Filastiniyat sought to evaluate the mass media’s performance in providing objective and balanced coverage of the candidates and their platforms so the citizens of Palestine can make well-informed choices at the ballot box. There was a specific focus on the coverage of the media against normative principles including the right of access, allocation of coverage and balance in the media.The project’s findings were determined through a well-defined and rigorous methodology and were not intended to support any one candidate or political party, but the integrity of the media environment as a whole during the campaign period.