Reporting Elections, Safety and Security of Journalists The Cardinal Trio Journalists covering elections need to develop a sharp sense of professionalism with a clear focus on expanding: 1. knowledge of the issues of the day, context and background 2. technical or reporting skills to present stories factually, accurately, fairly and with judicious balance 3. commitment to ethics and high moral standards The cardinal trio is a concept that addresses issues of responsibility, processes, preparation, projection, presentation, knowledge and skills. It is about responsibility to pick and read important issues at the right time, to highlight and interpret the issues and processes, to prepare and present the stories in an interesting way and to acquire knowledge and skills appropriately. The first major requirement is to understand the political environment.What are the rules of the game? What does the law say about the various processes, and who is responsible for the different aspects of these laws and regulations? What is the practical meaning or impact of these statutory provisions? How different is it from the practice elsewhere in the region, in Africa, around the world? In their 2009 book: Eyes of Democracy, The Media and Elections, Kenyan journalists Manoah Esipisu and Isaac Khaguli, firmly frame the point that part of the media’s 8 https://zimbabwe.misa.org