RFED rejects EC’s guidelines for journos

The Reporters Forum for Election and Democracy (RFED) yesterday rejected the guidelines for Journalists and Media Professionals issued by the Election Commission (EC).

In a joint statement issued this afternoon, RFED called for a rational and realistic revision of the guidelines through inclusive discussions involving all relevant stakeholders.

Meanwhile, on July 23, the EC issued a fresh set of guidelines that titled, "Policy for Journalists and Media Professionals in Election Reporting, 2025", ahead of the upcoming 13th national election.

The RFED statement was signed by the forum's President Kazi Jebel and General Secretary Golam Rabbani.

''The guidelines would curtail press freedom and the public's right to electoral information. In particular, the policy would create unwarranted barriers to free movement, observation, and information access for media professionals covering elections.''

The RFED leaders said, "Drafting such an important policy without consulting media stakeholders goes against the principles of democratic practice."

They further said that the guidelines fail to ensure a safe, independent, and unobstructed working environment for journalists. "Unnecessary restrictions on access to polling stations, saying these would disrupt the normal process of news gathering. The clause requiring journalists to notify the presiding officer before taking photos or collecting information, as seen in previous EC guidelines, was also deemed inconsistent with the realities of journalism and detrimental to both press freedom and speed.''

Additionally, the RFED expressed concern over the policy's ban on multiple journalists staying inside a polling booth at the same time or remaining there for more than 10 minutes.

They said that imposing unreasonable limitations that would shrink the scope of journalistic work and hinder spontaneous and credible monitoring of election irregularities.

The RFED statement also pointed out a lack of balance in accountability: while the guidelines mention legal action against journalists, they make no reference to any measures against election officials, law enforcement, or others who may obstruct journalists in performing their duties.

Furthermore, the guidelines prohibit journalists from interviewing election officials, agents, or voters inside the booth and ban live broadcasting from the polling room—obstacles that RFED says would severely impede the free flow of information, transparency, and the immediate reporting of electoral irregularities. These restrictions contradict the core principles of journalism and would hamper democratic practice.

RFED leaders urged the EC to draft a modern, media-friendly, and practical set of guidelines through active participation from media professionals and related stakeholders.