Released on March 18, 2005

Globe International, an independent, non-partisan Mongolian NGO dedicated to freedom of expression and the media, is launching its 2005 Presidential Election Media-Monitoring Project to systematically monitor the media coverage of the 22 May presidential election. This project is conducted with the material and technical support of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), an international NGO headquartered in Washington, D.C. promoting democratic development worldwide.

Globe International seeks to evaluate the mass media’s performance in providing objective and balanced coverage of the candidates and their platforms so the citizens of Mongolia can make well-informed choices at the ballot box. The project’s findings will be determined through a well-defined and rigorous methodology and are not intended to support any one candidate or political party, but the integrity of the media environment as a whole during the campaign season.

Media monitoring will be carried out from April 2 through May 21 using qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis. Quantitative analysis will measure the total amount of time and space devoted to elections-related coverage on state-funded television, state-funded radio, five private TV stations, and four national newspapers. The qualitative analysis will evaluate whether the information about candidates is positive, negative, or neutral in its content.

Over the course of two months and with the help of approximately 11 monitors and analysts, Globe will hold regular press conferences and release the results of the monitoring to the general public, the media, political parties, governmental bodies, international organizations, embassies, non-governmental organizations, and others.