Egypt ’s first contested presidential election in history offers a prime opportunity to expand the boundaries of civic participation and raise the standards of journalism. The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) has undertaken a four-month project to greatly increase the availability of factual, fair information and citizen involvement throughout the election season -- while teaching journalists professional standards and skills that reflect the values of democracy.

ICFJ ’s approach to elections training is built around journalists reporting and writing stories for local publication and broadcast. Under the guidance of international trainers working with Egyptian co-trainers, the project participants report, write, edit and produce a “voter’s guide” supplement for nationwide distribution; separate stories on regional issues for local publication; national pool coverage of Election Day; and follow-up stories after the election. The most important and high-quality stories also are distributed internationally on ICFJ’s Web site, the International Journalists’ Network, in English and Arabic (http://www.IJNet.org).

In 10 workshops being held in the cities of Alexandria, Cairo and Minya, Egyptian print, broadcast and online journalists will learn techniques and skills to cover the presidential campaign, the election, and the subsequent term of office. More than 100 stories will be produced for local and national audiences during the workshops and for the supplement.

ICFJ ’s elections training is based on the principles of civic journalism, emphasizing “citizen-based” coverage as opposed to traditional “horse-race” election coverage. This approach places the lives and the needs of ordinary people at the very center of reporting–-above the rhetoric of candidates and the influence of the elite.

For an election, this means reporting in depth on the issues and problems of daily life, such as the economy, education, and official corruption—real issues that already have been identified by participants in the program as they interview ordinary Egyptians—rather than merely following the agendas and campaign strategies set by politicians. In conducting large-scale voter interviews well before the election, journalists directly listen to and amplify the voices of citizens. They use comments from the voters to formulate questions for candidates and to generate ideas for stories about issues that concern voters most. All subsequent coverage then centers on how the candidates address these issues, rather than focusing on staged campaign events. In the final phase, journalists hold the winner accountable for his campaign promises and track his record in addressing the issues. Throughout the process, they show citizens that they have the power to weigh the issues and demand accountability from elected officials.

ICFJ ’s approach directly involves citizens in the process of questioning and evaluating candidates, produces useful information for voters, and demonstrates to citizens that their voice matters. The voter interviews and subsequent stories stratify the sample to include representative proportions of those citizens whose voices are often silenced: women and villagers, uneducated, impoverished. Through extensive direct contact with ordinary citizens, journalists connect real faces and lives with the abstract political tactics of candidates. This approach also benefits from its emphasis on practical, skill-based training that results in published stories. The stories produced demonstrate professional standards of journalism to all media in the region as well as to the citizens served by them.

The first workshops took place in Cairo, Alexandria and Minya from July 24 to August 3. In addition, a special broadcast workshop was conducted from August 6 to 16.

This program is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.