This book was prepared at the request of the European Institute for the Media, as an aid to government officials and citizens interested in strengthening the positive role of the media in democratic processes, and especially in relation to free and fair elections.
It provides information on the role assigned to, or played by the media during election periods. This is achieved through a collection of documents from various sources and at different levels. These documents are originated by international organizations, national legislatures , including regulatory frameworks from state and other authorities, non-governmental organisations and professional bodies. The focus of attention are cases from European Union member states and candidate countries. At the same time, examples from third countries complete the picture.