UNIT 9 POLITICAL REPORTING

Structure
9.0 Introduction
9.1 Learning Outcomes
9.2 The Indian Political System
9.3 Parliamentary Business and Political Reporting
9.3.1 News from inside the Parliament
9.3.2 News from outside the Parliament

9.4 Role of Political Parties

9.4.1 Formation of Political Parties and Internal Elections
9.4.2 Registration/Recognition of Political Parties
9.4.3 Funding of Political Parties

9.5 Activities of Political Parties and Political Reporting

9.5.1 Public Meetings/Rallies
9.5.2 Demonstrations/Processions
9.5.3 Press Conferences/Briefings
9.5.4 Party Meetings/Conventions
9.5.5 Press Release/Social Media Platform

9.6 Elections and Electoral Reforms

9.6.1 Basic Premise of Indian Elections
9.6.2 The Election Commission of India
9.6.3 Conduct of Elections
9.6.4 Electoral Reforms

9.7 Political Newsgathering and Writing

9.7.1 Coverage under Political Beat
9.7.2 Political Newsgathering and Sources
9.7.3 Political News Writing

9.8 Let Us Sum Up

9.9 Further Readings

9.10 Check Your Progress: Possible Answers

9.0 INTRODUCTION
In this Unit, we shall discuss about the broad spectrum of Indian political system,
role and functions of political parties and conduct of elections at various levels.
Also, we will look at some of the skills you need to have to be a good political
reporter, especially how to develop contacts for newsgathering, and how to
write in an informed way so that your readers or listeners can understand.

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Beat Reporting-1
9.1 LEARNING OUTCOMES
After reading this Unit, you will be able to:
understand the basics of Indian political system required for good political
reporting;
learn various aspects of political newsgathering; and
develop skills of political news writing.

Activity 1
You must be reading lot of political reports in the newspapers every day.
Please undertake a small exercise to understand about political news reports.
You may find that the name of a local political leader has been published
in the newspaper that you read. Read the news report to get the following
details:
Which political party does the politician belongs to?
What post does he holds in the party’s District or State Unit?
What statement has he made?
What is the issue that he has raised?
Whether he has issued a Press Release or addressed a Press
Conference or written on any Social Media platform?
Whether he has addressed a public meeting or led a
demonstration/procession?
Whether his statement/action is for the good of the people or
merely a political gimmick?
What is your assessment as a reader regarding the coverage given
to that politician? Is it appropriate or overplayed?

9.2 THE INDIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM

The activity given above was a small exercise to make you understand what
a political report is. But, a holistic understanding of political reporting is not
possible without getting into the basics of parliamentary democracy, the Indian
political system and various issues of governance. So, let us first look into them.
Democracies follow two forms of political systems, Parliamentary Form (Britain)
and Presidential Form (US). The Indian Constitution prescribes for parliamentary
form of democracy in which the Parliament/Legislature assumes a very significant
status in the political system. Why? Because the Executive (the Prime Minister
and his Cabinet) is drawn from the Parliament/ Parliamentarians. The executive
is accountable to the parliament. This is unlike the presidential form where the
Executive (President and his Cabinet) is not drawn from the Parliament/
Parliamentarians, and is not accountable to the Parliament to that extent.
Like in all other democracies, the Indian Parliament (and also the State
Assemblies) perform the basic function of law-making. At the initiative of the
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Government (Ministers), Bills are drafted and brought to the parliament; and Political Reporting
following parliamentary approval and presidential assent, the bills turn into Acts.
The government governs with the help of these legislations and policy
formulations.

9.3 PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS AND

POLITICAL REPORTING
As stated above, the Parliament (and also the state legislatures) occupy an
important position in the political system of India. People are always interested
in knowing as to how the business is being transacted in the parliament and
laws are being made on issues of people’s welfare. So, it becomes obligatory
on the part of newspapers and news channels to report whatever is happening
inside the Parliament during its working sessions.

9.3.1 News from Inside the Parliament

The Constitution of India provides for a bicameral Parliament consisting of the

Lok Sabha (the House of the People) and Rajya Sabha (the Council of States).
The Lok Sabha is composed of representatives of the people chosen through
direct elections. The House, unless dissolved earlier, continues for five years
from the date of its first meeting. The maximum strength of the Lok Sabha
is 552.
The Rajya Sabha consists of maximum 250 members. The seats have been
allocated to various States and Union Territories, roughly in proportion to their
population. The representatives of each state are elected by members of the
respective Legislative Assemblies (Vidhan Sabhas) of the States in accordance
with the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable
vote.
The parliament and the state legislatures become important source of news when
in session. The general public is interested to know about the laws which are
being deliberated in the parliament. The government has an obligation of making
announcements regarding all major acts passed and activities in the parliament
during the session. The debates happening within the parliament and the 117
Beat Reporting-1 pandemonium caused due to confrontation between members of the ruling and
opposition parties are also worth reporting.

9.3.2 News from Outside the Parliament

There are dedicated reporters for covering the parliament as over the years
parliamentary reporting has developed as an independent stream. Yet, every
political reporter is supposed to follow the parliamentary proceedings. On many
occasions, political news emanates from outside the Parliament even during the
session. If political parties fail to vent their anger inside the House, they do
it outside which is vital for political reporters.

Check Your Progress 1

Note: 1) Use the space given below for your answer
2) Compare your answer with those given at the end of this Unit.
1) Why is parliamentary reporting considered important in a democratic
country like India?
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2) What is the significance of reporting from outside the Parliament
during an ongoing session?
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3) Can policy announcements be made outside Parliament while the Political Reporting
session is in progress?
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4) The basic function of Parliament is to make laws
[ ] Correct [ ] Incorrect
5) The maximum strength of Lok Sabha is 250
[ ] Correct [ ] Incorrect
6) Members of Assemblies vote for electing members of Rajya Sabha
[ ] Correct [ ] Incorrect

9.4 ROLE OF POLITICAL PARTIES

Political parties are the vehicles of democracy irrespective of whether a country
has adopted the presidential system or parliamentary system. Understanding of
issues related to political parties like their formation, election, registration and
funding is necessary to every political reporter. Let us first define a political
party.
A political party is an organization or association of people who would have
joined hands to contest elections and hold power in the government. Mostly
political parties are formed with a purpose, each believing in a certain ideology.
Every party agrees on some policies and programmes, with a view to promoting
the collective good and/or taking care of the interests of their supporters.

9.4.1 Formation of Political Parties and Internal Elections

In democracies, political parties are elected by the electorate to run a
government. India has multi-party system and as per latest Election Commission
(EC) data (update till 15th March 2019), there are seven National political
parties, 59 State parties and more than two thousand registered unrecognised
parties. This number is abnormally high when compared with other democracies
of the world. The issue of registration and recognition of political parties is being
discussed in subsequent paragraphs.
The Election Commission of India(ECI) has mandated regarding the constitution
of political parties stipulating that they have to have clear rules regarding
organizational elections at different levels and the periodicity of such elections
and terms of office of the office-bearers of the party. However, if one looks
at the situation on the ground, it is observed that most of parties do not hold
regular election or follow erratic and arbitrary process in the conduct of elections.
Thus, inner-party democracy is found to be weak.

9.4.2 Registration/Recognition of Political Parties

Every political party has to get itself registered with the Election Commission
of India. For this purpose it has to submit an application to the EC along with
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Beat Reporting-1 relevant papers including the party constitution. Without registration, no political
party can contest an election. Registered parties get preference in the allotment
of free symbols.
Registered political parties can get recognition as ‘State Party’ or ‘National Party’
subject to fulfilment of conditions prescribed by the Election Commission. If
a party is recognised as a State party, it is entitled for exclusive allotment of
its reserved symbol to the candidates set up by it in the State/States in which
it is so recognised; and if a party is recognised as a National party, it is entitled
for exclusive allotment of its reserved symbol to the candidates set up by it
throughout India.
Recognised ‘State’ and ‘National’ parties need only one proposer for filing the
nomination. They are also entitled for two sets of electoral rolls free of cost
and broadcast/telecast facilities over the national broadcasters the All India Radio
(AIR) and Doordarshan (DD) during general elections. Recognized parties are
consulted by the Election Commission while finalising electoral rules and
regulations and fixing schedules of polling.
A political party is treated as a recognised political party in a State,
(A) if such party
has been engaged in political activity for a continuous period of five
years;
has, in the last general election to the Legislative Assembly of that
State, returned at least one member for every 30 members of that
House or any fraction of that number from that State.
(B) if the total number of valid votes polled by all the contesting candidates
set by such party in the last general election in the State to the Legislative
assembly is not less than six percent of the total number of valid votes
polled by all the contesting candidates in such general election in the State.
If a political party is treated as a recognised political party in four or more
States, it is known as a ‘National Party’ throughout India, but only so long
as that political party continues to fulfil thereafter the conditions for recognition
in four or more States on the results of any subsequent general election either
to the House of the People or to the Legislative Assembly of any State. The
status is reviewed periodically by the Election Commission.
9.4.3 Funding of Political Parties
In India, political parties fund themselves through donations. Donors include party
workers, businessmen and companies/corporate entities. Through amendment in
Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Act 1976, the Government has allowed
political parties to accept donations from foreign entities including companies
with foreign shareholding.
A few years back, parties were expected to file their Income Tax Returns (ITRs)
containing details of donors who had made contributions above Rs 20,000. A
copy of this return had to be sent to the Election Commission every year.
However, the political parties used to declare most of their funds as having
come from unnamed donors who donate less than Rs. 20,000 each, thereby
getting away without naming the source of their donations and also enjoying
tax exemptions.
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The Election Commission recommended that the law should be changed to make Political Reporting
it mandatory for political parties to also disclose contributions less than
Rs. 20,000. It favoured exemptions only upto Rs 2000. The Law Commision
endorsed the recommendations of EC. As a result, the government amended
the Income Tax Act and limited anonymous cash donations to Rs. 2000.
Many political parties do not file ITRs, and even if they do, they never send
the copy to the Commission. A large number of political parties do not participate
in elections, and are alleged to be involved in turning black money to white.
Under the existing laws, EC has the authority to register a political party but
there is no provision to allow it to deregister any party that has been given
recognition.

Activity 2
You must be reading numerous political reports in the newspapers or news
websites every day. Take the reference of a few news reports which
appeared recently on the issues of funding and financial management of
political parties. List the different aspects of financial management of political
parties and write your opinion on them.

9.5 ACTIVITIES OF POLITICAL PARTIES AND

POLITICAL REPORTING
Political scientists explain four functions of political parties: a) selection of
candidates, b)mobilization of voters, c) facilitation of governance, d) monitoring
the opposing party when it is in power. A political reporter is required not only
to recognize these functions, but he/she has to appreciate the activities that the
political parties undertake while performing these functions.
As a political reporter, you may be covering mostly the activities of political
parties. These activities, however, are not very well defined in a democratic
set up. The basic objective of these activities is to attract the attention of media
to get adequate media coverage and thereby reach out to the masses.
9.5.1 Public Meetings/Rallies
The most common activities of political parties include street/corner meetings,
public meetings, road shows and rallies. Public meetings are addressed by senior
leaders whether belonging to the ruling party or parties in opposition. These
are considered the most effective tool of connecting with the people who gather
in large number to listen to their favourite leaders.
Speeches made by political leaders in public meetings provide input for writing
good news reports. So, a political reporter always keeps an eye on such
activities. Public meeting is an all-weather activity though during elections it is
a common sight. During elections, street/corners meetings are also held in large
numbers.
Rallies are organized by political parties as a show of their strength to their
opponents. Rallies are attended by thousands of party workers as they spread
in large areas for canvassing among the people to support their party. Bike
rallies and cycle rallies are also quite popular. Road shows have become popular
and is a comparatively a new form of political campaigning. Senior political
leaders use this as a measure to reach out to the people and influence them.
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Beat Reporting-1 All these provide enough material to political reporters. In addition to all of
the above, one peculiar Indian style of mass contact is Rath Yatra, where the
political leader travels in a big vehicle along with his supporters and stops at
different locations to address the people from an elevated pedestal fitted into
the vehicle.

9.5.2 Demonstrations/ Processions

Political parties in the opposition resort to demonstration, procession, dharna,
road blockade and other similar activities for lodging their protest against the
policies and actions of the government. During these activities, the protesters
use plaques, banners, posters and black flags. They even raise slogans in support
of their demands and to condemn their political opponents.
Political parties make calls for strike or bandh (like Bharat Bandh), road
blockade and other similar activities. On many occasions, these protests go ugly
as the party workers turn berserk and indulge in violence. This invites police
action which may involve lathi charge, shelling of tear gas or even firing.
Sometimes, it may be the other way round. The police may obstruct the
demonstration by using undue force, and in reaction the protesters turn violent
and attack the police force. The protesters may even be seen pelting stones
at the police.
Contrary to this, silent processions are also taken out. Political workers are
sometime found half-clad; they may even strip in protest. Effigy burning during
demonstrations is also a common sight. Para-military forces or army may be
deployed if the situation goes out of control and violence breaks out. For
political reporters any such situation is big news; any injuries or causalities make
the news even bigger.

9.5.3 Press Conferences/Briefings

All major political parties hold press briefings at their national headquarters in
New Delhi generally every day in the afternoon/evening. This is done to update
the media about the stand the party would have taken on issues of topical
importance or urgent nature. These briefings are also used to level charges on
the political opponents and to defend the party if charges have been levelled
against its own leaders.
Press briefings are organized on a day-to-day basis at a fixed time, addressed
by the official spokespersons of the party. On special occasions, senior leaders
of the party also address the reporters and brief them. Political reporters make
it a point to attend all such briefings.
Press Conferences may also be organized as and when a party feels the need
to share with the political reporters on some major issue. Unlike press briefings,
the date, time and venue of the press conference has to be notified to the
reporters.

9.5.4 Party Meetings/ Conventions

Every political party holds meetings at regular intervals including closed-door
meetings and conferences or convention which are open to public view. The
closed-door meetings include meetings of senior leaders of the party and meetings
of the executive or working committee of the party. Political reporters find it
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difficult to cover these meetings unless they are officially communicated by the Political Reporting
party about the outcome of the meeting. Sometimes, a reporter may get some
details of the meeting through a confidential source (may be a dissenting leader).
On occasions, many political parties hold joint meetings for the formation of
joint front or entering into an alliance. The opposition parties may also seek
meetings with the President and the Prime Minister for submitting their
representations on some issues.
Most political parties also organize their annual conventions. Periodic conferences
are also organized. Political reporters are given full or limited access to these
conventions and conferences. This makes the coverage of these conventions
and conferences convenient to the political reporter to access information.

9.5.5 Press Release/Social Media Platform

Press releases issued by political parties provide significant input to political
reporters. However, press releases are not released on a routine basis.
Political parties use social media platform as well for reaching out the people.
Political reporters need to keep a track on such postings, as these may turn
into important news stories. Political parties also publish their mouthpieces, like
Kamal Sandesh of BJP and Congress Sandesh of the Congress. The reports
and articles carried in these publications provide news material for political
reporters.
Check Your Progress 2
Note: 1) Use the space given below for your answer
2) Compare your answer with those given at the end of this Unit.
1) How much importance is attached to public meetings and rallies by
political parties for expanding their base?
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2) Are you convinced that demonstrations and processions are effective
tools of protest by opposition parties?
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3) What measures do political parties take to enhance their social media
base?
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Beat Reporting-1 4) Name the mouthpieces of the following political parties
Congress [ ] and BJP [ ]
5) A formal invitation is sent to reporters by political parties for attending
their press briefings
[ ] Correct [ ] Incorrect

9.6 ELECTIONS AND ELECTORAL REFORMS

You would have noticed that most of the time in a year, some election is being
held at one place or the other in the country. In fact, in any representative
democracy elections are an integral part and hence, as a political reporter you
will always be busy covering elections round the year. Also the Representation
of the People Act 1951 has made specific provisions regarding elections. The
Election Commission of India (ECI) has been entrusted with the task of
conducting free and fair elections across the country.

9.6.1 Basic Premise of Indian Elections

Universal Adult Franchise: The Constitution of India has prescribed for
universal adult franchise, which means that every adult has a right to vote without
any discrimination of caste, colour, religion or sex. The basic principle of one
person one vote is followed. The voting right is based on the tenet of equality
which is the cornerstone of democracy. As per the 61st Constitutional Amendment
of 1988, the voting age has been reduced from 21 to 18 years which has
really empowered the youth in the country. In 2019, the number of voters has
increased to approximately 90 crore.
Direct/Indirect Elections: The members of the legislature and the executive
are elected through a well-established process of elections. The system is largely
based on direct elections though some members of legislatures and executive
functionaries are also elected through indirect elections. Direct election is where
the electorates cast their votes for electing their representatives. In an indirect
election, however, the elected representatives cast their votes for electing
representatives of the State (RajyaSabha) and executive functionaries (President/
Vice President).
Central/State/Local Elections: Broadly, elections take place at three levels;
Central, State and Local (Local Self Government). At the Central level, elections
for both the Houses of Parliament, the President and the Vice President are
conducted; while elections for State Legislature takes place at the State level.
At the Local level, elections are conducted for local self-government i.e. local
bodies like Municipal Corporations and Panchayats. While elections at the
Central and the State level are conducted by the Election Commission of India,
elections of local bodies are conducted by the respective State Election
Commissions.

9.6.2 The Election Commission of India

The Election Commission (EC) of India is an autonomous constitutional authority
responsible for administering the election processes in India. It operates under
the authority of the Constitution (Article 324) and the Representation of the
124 People Act 1951.
The Election Commission is empowered to conduct free and fair polls. It has Political Reporting
powers under the Constitution to act in an appropriate manner, while the enacted
laws make sufficient provisions to deal with a given situation in the conduct
of an election.
Structure of EC: Originally, the Election Commission had only one Commissioner,
designated as the Chief Election Commissioner. Two additional commissioners
were appointed to the Commission for the first time in October 1989, but they
had a very short tenure, ending in January 1990. In 1993 the Commission
become a multi-member body. The concept of a three-member Commission
has been in operation since then, with the decisions being made by a majority
vote.
Functions of EC: The basic function of the Election Commission is to conduct
the elections. This involves the following activities:
preparation of electoral lists, their revision and updating;
issuing Voter Identity Cards to voters;
registration and recognition of political parties;
allotment of election symbols to political parties;
notification of election schedule and polling dates;
acquiring and maintaining the Electronic Voting Machines;
deployment of staff for the conduct of polls;
supervising the filing and scrutiny of nomination papers;
preparation of ballot papers for polling;
planning and setting up polling stations and booths;
ensuring security arrangements during polls;
providing opportunity to all eligible voters to cast vote;
monitoring the counting of votes following polling; and
declaration of results after polling and counting.
Powers of the EC: Though the Election Commission appears not having enough
powers, but it acquires enormous powers during elections. The administrative
machinery comes directly under the Election Commission as soon as the election
schedule is notified in a state. The DM/Collector of a district assumes the role
of District Election Officer during the election period. The police Chief of the
district also report to the EC during this period. As per requirement of the
Election Commission, the security forces are made available for election duties
by the Central Government.
Regarding preparation and revision of electoral lists, the job is performed by
the assigned employees of the concerned State Government.
Legal/Ethical Issues: The Election Commission has limited legal powers. It
can reject nomination papers during scrutiny in case of inconsistency with rules.
It can even disqualify a candidate for three years if details of election expenses
are not submitted as stipulated by the Election Commission. 125
Beat Reporting-1 The Election Commission issues a Model Code of Conduct for political parties
and candidates during the election period. This code comes into effect with
the announcement of election schedule by the Election Commission. However,
there have been instances of violation of the code by various political parties
with complaints being received for misuse of official machinery by the candidates.

9.6.3 The Conduct of Elections

Indian Parliament has two houses, Lok Sabha (House of the People) and Rajya
Sabha (Council of States). The term of Lok Sabha is five years, and General
Election takes place before the expiry of this term. Every State has a Legislative
Assembly called Vidhan Sabha (House of the People). Election to this House
takes places exactly on the lines of Lok Sabha.

Demarcation of constituencies: Under Article 82 of the Constitution, the

Parliament enacts a Delimitation Act after every census. The election Commission
demarcates parliamentary constituencies all across the country, and one member
is declared elected from each constituency. The demarcation of a constituency
depends upon the population of that geographical region, and the process is
undertaken by constituting a Delimitation Commission.

The present delimitation of constituencies has been done on the basis of 2001
Census figures under the provisions of Delimitation Act, 2002. Notwithstanding
the above, the Constitution of India was specifically amended in 2002 not to
have delimitation of constituencies till the first Census after 2026. Thus, the
present Constituencies carved out on the basis of 2001 census shall continue
to be in operation till the first census after 2026.

Indirect Election: Indirect election takes place for Rajya Sabha. This upper
house has a maximum strength of 250 members, of these 238 members are
to be elected for a six-year term, with one-third retiring every two years. 12
members are to be nominated by the President of India. The members are
indirectly elected, this being achieved by the votes of legislators in the State(s)
and Union Territories.

The elected members are chosen under the system of proportional representation
by means of single transferable vote. The twelve nominated members are usually
an eclectic mix of eminent artists (including actors), scientists, jurists, sportspersons,
journalists and social workers.

Some States in India have bicameral legislature. The other house is named as
Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council). Members to this house are also chosen
through proportional representation system by means of single transferable vote.

The President of India is also elected indirectly. Members of Parliament and

members of State Legislatures cast their votes in this election under the system
of proportional representation.

Local Elections: State Election Commissions have been set up for conducting
elections to local bodies as per Article 243K of the Constitution. This provision
has been made through Constitutional (73rd Amendment) Act, passed in 1992,
and implemented in 1993. Local bodies include Nagar Nigam, Nagar Mahapalika,
Nagar Palika, ZilaParishad, District Panchayat, Gram Panchayat etc.
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The State Election Commissioner has several unique powers pertaining to the Political Reporting
elections to local bodies. S/he chairs the Delimitation Commission which delimits
local government constituencies and has full powers to conduct local government
elections. S/he assigns reserved posts and constituencies and can disqualify
candidates who do not submit election accounts.

9.6.4 Electoral Reforms

Our electoral process has been suffering from many problems right from the
beginning. Hence, a process of electoral reforms was set in motion in 1990s.
A law regarding the registration process for political parties was enacted in 1989.
During the tenure of CEC T. N. Sheshan, reforms got a boost and photo I-
Cards were issued to voters, system of revision of electoral lists was put in
motion, and legal limits were fixed on the amount of money which a candidate
can spend during election campaigns. This limit fixed differently for Lok Sabha
and Vidhan Sabha, is periodically revised, and monitored by the Election
Observers appointed by the Commission in every constituency.
The Commission takes details of the candidate’s assets on an affidavit at the
time of submitting the nomination paper. They are also required to give details
of their expenditure within 30 days of the declaration of results. The campaign
period has also been reduced by the Commission from 21 to 14 days for Lok
Sabha and Assembly elections in order to cut down the election expenditure.
Option of NOTA (none of the above) has also been introduced in 2013. The
Commission can issue an order for prohibition of publication and dissemination
of results of opinion polls and exit polls to prevent influencing the voting trends.
However, the issue of paid news which is mushrooming and other issues such
as funding of political parties, state funding of elections, compulsory voting, right
to recall, simultaneous election to Lok Sabha and all Vidhan Sabhas are issues
which are yet to be resolved.
Check Your Progress 3
Note: 1) Use the space given below for your answer
2) Compare your answer with those given at the end of this Unit.
1) Which constitutional amendment has reduced voting age from 21 to
18 years?
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2) What is Universal Adult Franchise?
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Beat Reporting-1 3) Who casts the vote for electing members to Rajya Sabha?
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4) Which body conducts election for Municipalities and Panchayats?
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5) The Election Commission of India consists of how many members?
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6) During the election period, from which date does the Model Code of
Conduct come into effect?
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7) When and how are the details of assets need to be submitted by a
candidate during election?
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8) When and how are the details of expenditure need to be submitted by
a candidate during elections?
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9.7 POLITICAL NEWSGATHERINGAND WRITING

In news organizations – newspapers, radio channels and TV news channels –
reporters are assigned beats for the smooth conduct of the reporting job. A
beat is the subject area that a reporter is assigned to cover. The assignment
of a particular beat helps the reporter to develop expertise in his/her area which
includes expanding sources and gaining knowledge and experience for better
performance.
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In newspapers, the reporting network comprises reporting broadly at three levels; Political Reporting
City, State Capital and National Capital. Here, the city reporting or local
reporting is referred to reporting from the city from where the newspaper edition
is published. It is substituted by metro reporting in the case of reporting from
metropolitan cities (if the newspaper is published from a metropolitan area).
Every newspaper (from whichever city it is published) has a reporting set up
in the state capital and the national capital. This reporting set up is called bureau.

9.7.1 Coverage under Political Beat

There are different beats distributed to reporters in the City Reporting Room,
the State Bureau and the National Bureau. However, political beat is common
at all the three levels, though the range of coverage differs. A political reporter
in the local reporting room covers political activities happening in that particular
city; while a reporter in the State Bureau covers political activities having wider
reach including affairs related to the State Government. A reporter in the National
Bureau covers national and international level politics including affairs related
to the Central Government.
Let us have a look what is covered by a political reporter in a city:
District and City level units of political parties: meetings, programmes
and political activities on the street.
Politicians, MLAs and MPs: activities and statements of local politicians
that includes politicians who would have been elected to the State
Legislature and the Parliament.
Senior leaders and ministers: visits of the city by state and national level
leaders of political parties, ministers of State/Central Government, Chief
Minister, Prime Minister and President.
Political reporter posted in the State Bureau covers the following activities:
State Units of political parties: meetings, programmes and other political
activities either in the state capital or all across the state
State Legislature: Sessions of Legislative Assembly/Council; activities of
MLAs/ MLCs
State Government: functioning of the State Government, Chief Minister
and Governor
Central Government Ministers: visits of the State capital by the Prime
Minister, other Ministers and the President
Political reporter posted in the National Bureau covers the following activities:
National Units of political parties: meetings, programmes and other
political activities either in the national capital or all across the country
Parliament: sessions of Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha, and the activities of MPs
inside or outside Parliament
Central Government: functioning of the Central Government, Prime
Minister and the President
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Beat Reporting-1 Centre-State relations: issues between the Centre and the State, particularly
related to governance and policy matters
International relations: visits of head of states or other senior leaders
from foreign countries, and agreements or pacts signed by leaders of
respective countries
International conferences and international events in India

9.7.2 Political Newsgathering and Sources

In political newsgathering, reporters prefer to do field reporting or spot coverage.
This includes reporting the sessions of legislatures, public meetings, speeches
by political leaders, demonstrations and rallies, election campaigning and polling,
counting and election results, conventions and meetings of the parties. On-the-
spot interviews of political leaders or bites collected from them is considered
an important assignment for political reporters.
Thus, a political reporter has to do lot of running around. S/he has to follow
a hectic schedule, and his/her job appears quite taxing. Mobility and connectivity
are essential attributes of political reporters.
Political reporters depend on official sources to a great extent. Press releases
issued by political parties and statements issued by their leaders provide
significant input for writing news reports. Political reporters never miss the press
briefings of political parties and the press conferences organized by ministers
and other political leaders. On many occasions, reporters are briefed about the
outcome of some party meetings. In the wake of political controversies, political
reporters wait for the official version issued by the concerned party.
However, political reporters will not be able to have an edge unless they develop
some confidential sources. These sources are mainly the insiders who give vital
input to reporters. Such sources include dissenting leaders or political opponents.
Political reporters need to cultivate confidential sources and should be prepared
to protect their identity. Mutual trust is a must between a political reporter and
his/her source.

9.7.3 Political News Writing

In political news writing, the same inverted pyramid news structure is adopted
which you would have already gone through. Here, the most important
information or fact comes first, followed by the less important information,
continued by some extra information and followed by the least important facts.
In writing lead of political news reports, the same 5 Ws and I H formula is
applied.
Writing Speeches/Press Conferences/Interviews: A political reporter is
mostly found writing stories on speeches, press conferences or briefings and
interviews. These news stories have a common element; they are one-source
stories. Such stories are collection of direct and indirect quotations from the
source.
Speeches assume more significance if made by prominent political leaders and
government functionaries. A reporter requires considerable skill to report a 5000-
word speech in 300 words, and still give the reader an accurate report of what
130 was said. The task becomes further difficult in the case of really lengthy speeches.
All speeches, whether formal addresses on special occasions or impromptu Political Reporting
remarks during an unstructured gathering, are handled very much alike. The
reporter must consider the following three elements:

The speaker

The audience

The speech

A fourth consideration is the possible interpretation that any of the three elements
may need. The proportion of the story to be devoted to each element varies
with the comparative importance of each, but no story is complete without all
three.

The speaker should be properly identified in the lead. Sometime this can be
done with a title or a short sentence. The reader needs to know who the speaker
is and why his or her statements are worth quoting. Even a description of the
speaker’s distinctive characteristics and manner of emphasizing certain points
is sometimes woven into the story to give it more colour.

The audience should also be described. How many people were there? Who
were they? Why did they meet? The reporter needs to answer these questions
in the news report. The names of persons in the audience need not be given
unless it would be of interest to the reader to know the names of a few of
the more prominent ones; but the reporter should tell whether they are bankers,
teachers, doctors, engineers, farmers or party workers. Audience reaction is
also worth noting.

A speech is the most important of the three elements. What was the most
important thing said by the speaker should be the first question that a reporter
should ask himself while sitting down to write the story. However, two reporters,
covering the same speech may not agree on what was the most important thing
said. That is why the news reports on the same speech is published with different
emphasis in different newspapers.

In press conferences and interviews, only two elements, the speaker and the
speech are considered important. Mostly, a political reporter writes the story
in his/her own language and expression while taking care that the meaning of
the statements made by the speaker does not change. Wherever required, the
reporter decides to keep the statements in quotes. Though direct quotations
tend to add emphasis, the reporter should avoid quoting routine, obvious or
minor points from the speech or statements made by the speaker.

Meetings and special events: News stories based on meetings, conferences,

conventions and other political events form a major chunk of political reporting.
There are so many meetings held by political parties every other day, but all
of them are not worth reporting. There is no news value in the simple fact
that a meeting or event has happened. A reporter should cover and write a
story only when s/he is certain that the readers are interested in knowing about
that meeting.

While writing a news report based on a meeting or an event, the reporter has
to provide answers to readers on the following questions:
131
Beat Reporting-1 Who attended the meeting? Whether prominent leaders of the party showed
up or not?
What was the outcome of the meeting? Whether the decisions taken in
the meeting will make some impact or not?
Types of Meeting Stories: By now you would have understood that merely
writing a news report based on a political meeting is not enough. A political
reporter should also look into two more aspects of a meeting report i.e. Advance
and Follow up
Most political parties rely on newspapers for publicizing their meetings through
a news report published in advance. The information required for writing such
a news story includes the name of the party (if it is breakaway faction), the
agenda of the meeting, names of leaders addressing or attending the meeting,
time, date and place of the meeting. The more the reporter knows about the
party and its leaders and the recent developments, the easier it will be for him
to write an informative and interesting advance story.
The job of a political reporter does not finish after a meeting would have taken
place and it has been reported in newspapers. The reporter has to keep a
track on the developments, if any, after the details/outcome/decisions of the
meeting have been made public through news reports. The outcome of a meeting
might be having far reaching consequences, and hence, a political reporter should
always be vigilant on this count.
Check Your Progress 4
Note: 1) Use the space given below for your answer
2) Compare your answer with those given at the end of this Unit.
1. Name any five activities covered by the political reporters posted in
the National Bureau.
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............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
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2. What are the three main elements of speech based news reports?
............................................................................................................
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9.8 LET US SUM UP

Political news holds a very important place in journalism. It is necessary for
132 a good political reporter to have an understanding of the country’s constitution
and political system. In this Unit, we have discussed briefly the political system Political Reporting
of India because it is very important for political reporting. Apart from this,
political newsgathering and political news writing have also been discussed in
detail.

9.9 FURTHER READINGS

Bennett, W. L. (1996). An introduction to journalism norms and representations
of politics.

Turner, B., & Orange, R. (Eds.). (2013). Specialist journalism. Routledge.

9.10 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS: POSSIBLE

ANSWERS
Check Your Progress 1

1) In parliamentary form of democracy, the parliament is an important organ

of the political system. There is a direct connect between the legislature
and the executive since the elected members of parliament form the
government. The laws are made in parliament. The government is
accountable to parliament for all its actions and policies.

2) Ideally, reporting of parliamentary proceedings should be given utmost

importance during the sessions of parliament. The ground situation is quite
different in India. Most of the time proceedings get disrupted for days
together, sometime even the whole session is wasted away. In such a
situation, both the government and the opposition leaders speak outside
parliament. This also needs to be reported.

3) While the parliament is in session, the government has to make policy

announcements only on the floor of the House. Any policy announcement
outside parliament, while the session is on, may be considered contempt
of parliament. Sometimes, the ministers make some policy announcements
on weekends which are off days for parliament, though it is not considered
a healthy practice.

4) Correct

5) Incorrect

6) Correct

Check Your Progress 2

1) Public meetings and rallies are conducted by both the ruling parties and
the opposition parties. These meetings are attended by thousands of people,
who gather to listen to their favourite leaders. Political parties undertake
these activities mostly during elections. Rallies are particularly used for
demonstrating political power to opponents. Road shows are also organized
for political campaigning.

133
Beat Reporting-1 2) In a democracy, opposition political parties resist the policies and actions
of the government and/or the ruling party by raising their voice of protest.
This can be done either inside the parliament and/or out on the street by
organizing demonstrations and processions. Large participation in these
activities is bound to mount pressure on the government/ruling party.
Violence may mar many demonstrations/processions, though sometimes it
can benefit the organizer in view of public sympathy and media coverage.

3) In this information age, political parties give utmost emphasis on social media
tools for establishing instant connect with thousands of people all across
the country. Twitter and facebook are the two most commonly used social
media platforms by all kinds of political establishments. Many politicians
and ministers tweet on issues of topical importance. The content of social
media provides input even to mainstream conventional media.

4) Mouthpiece of Congress: Congress Sandesh

Mouthpiece of BJP: Kamal Sandesh

5) Incorrect

Check Your Progress 3

1) 61st Constitutional Amendment 1988.

2) Every adult has a right to vote without any discrimination.

3) Members of Assembly from the concerned State.

4) State Election Commission of the concerned State.

5) Three: one Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners.

6) As soon as Election Commission announces the election schedule.

7) A candidate has to submit details of assets on affidavit at the time of filing

nomination papers.

8) A candidate has to submit details of expenditure within 30 days of the

declaration of results.

Check Your Progress 4

1. Political reporter posted in the National Bureau covers the following

activities:

National units of political parties: meetings, programmes and other

political activities either in the national capital or all across the country

Parliament: sessions of Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha, and the activities of

MPs inside or outside Parliament

Central Government: functioning of the Central Government, Prime

Minister and the President

134
 Centre-State relations: issues between the Centre and the State, Political Reporting
particularly related to governance and policy matters

International relations: visits of head of states or other senior leaders

from foreign countries, and agreements or pacts signed by leaders of
respective countries

2. The three main elements are :

The speaker

The audience

The speech

135