be up front …
When contacting a politician for the first time, as a journalist you must be up to speed on the latter’s career and party. At the same time, you must make it clear who you are, the media for which you work and the topics you wish to cover. However, to set boundaries from the start, you should explain that you will not provide a list of questions before the interview (refusing to send a list does not mean a refusal to indicate the main themes of an interview) and that you will not provide the politician with your material (actualities = extracts) before it is broadcast.
tell the truth …
If you want to be able to have further dealings with a politician you have contacted, you must be careful not to twist what they say and if necessary to respect their anonymity, if they so request. However, it is also your job to always seek to verify the information given by a politician and clarify it if necessary in your voicer on air. You can only hold back information for as long as you need to check it to ensure you treat it properly.
NEVER TAKE SIDES …
A radio journalist is not an activist. Also, never accept money or gifts from a politician for the publication or non-publication of information.
Many radio stations still prioritise their political news coverage based on orders to cover events from the parties themselves. This is unacceptable and must stop, whatever the period in question. To put an end to such practices, editors and journalists themselves must instigate action at management level. At the very least, listeners must be informed that they are listening to an advertorial at the time of broadcast.
BE ON YOUR GUARD …
Even with a politician you have known for a long time, you must keep a certain distance: do not appear with them in public, and of course never wear anything with the party logo! A journalist must always be mindful that their relationship with the politician is a relationship based on self-interest. As a journalist, you should therefore take the opportunity, and indeed see it as your duty, to point out a politician’s unfulfilled promises, lies or contradictions. If a politician lets something slip during a conversation you must also ask yourself, why are they telling me this – what’s in it for them?
PLAY IT SAFE …
Even if you have known a politician for years, you must remind them that it is not you, the journalist, but the editor who decides the issues covered in the news. You must also report to your newsroom or to professional organisations any attempt at intimidation by a candidate or party leader. If you feel that you have become too close to a particular politician, you must be prepared to step aside and ask a colleague to contact them in your place.