Reporting Elections, Safety and Security of Journalists Reporting Elections: “What can be difficult about the election story?” What is difficult is the story has to be defined, and it must be defined very accurately. What is difficult is that is to get the timelines right, to pick up the salient and important points and pegs, to project and package it interestingly. The challenge is to remain professionally faithful to the needs of the public for accurate information in a field of political spin, propaganda and partisan presentation and posturing. MISA Zimbabwe recognises that only in this way can the media play its fundamental role in the process of democratisation, good governance, transparency, accountability and respect for human dignity. While the media should at all times conduct itself professionally and within the confines of the profession, this role becomes even more imperative during election time when the expectations for renewal or continuity of leadership to spur socio-economic development, peace and stability takes centre stage. Since 2000, Zimbabwe’s parliamentary, presidential and local government elections have been variously described as “historic,” a “landmark,” a “watershed,” “a-life-ordeath-affair,” “a do-or- die-issue” and a “make-or-break” situation. 6 https://zimbabwe.misa.org