Reporting Elections, Safety and Security of Journalists This obligation is more critical during elections where citizens vote in leaders for central or local government authorities. Voters look up to the media to inform them factually and fairly on the various parties, policies, personalities and programmes at play. This places a big responsibility on the media and on the journalists, underlining the fact that the election story “begins yesterday and not today” – it begins months before polling and can continue way after the votes have been tallied. Although the election story could be regarded as a “set piece” easier to report, in practice covering elections requires more professional skills than the usual run-of-themill story. MISA Zimbabwe recognises this fact, and through this handbook seeks to equip Zimbabwean journalists with guidelines on covering elections, some safety and security tips, managing mental health and rigorous fact-checking as the problem of misinformation and disinformation is acute during an election season. In that regard, MISA Zimbabwe sincerely appreciates the financial assistance of the French Embassy in Harare in the production of this handbook. 5