The voters must be taught to make a difference between correct information and manipulation in election campaigns. Those who carry out electoral surveys and those who present them must obey the professional deontology. Otherwise, they should be penalized. Such suggestions were formulated in an international scientific conference held at the State University of Moldova, IPN reports.
Georgeta Stepanov, dean of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication Sciences, which is the co-organizer of the event, said the responsibility for polls is borne by those who carry them out and by those who present them. The people must know that any survey is public and can be accessed directly for informing oneself. The voters must have particular knowledge to be able to analyze the tens of polls conducted and draw conclusions.
Director of the Institute of Political and Legal Research of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova Valeriu Cusnir said such negative techniques as lies, manipulation, selected arguments in favor of an election runner and rumors are often used and the lawmakers should institute penalties to punish those who use such methods. “I want to repeat the words of a wise man – science without justice seems to be artfulness,” he stated.
Victor Mocanu, chairman of the Association of Sociologists and Demographers of Moldova, said one of the conclusions of a recent vox-populi survey on the quality and correctness of the electoral process shows the population considers that there was a shortage of correct information in the November 2014 elections. About 40% of the people consider the mass media didn’t create equal conditions for the election runners to present their platforms.
As regards the manipulation through surveys, Mocanu said that in the 2014 elections there wasn’t manipulation according to the classical model, but certain errors were made in the polls. This is due to the high number of non-answers and to migration as many respondents could not be found at home. Another explanation is the social desirability phenomenon, when the respondents answer the questions in accordance with a set of norms and values established in society so as to appear in a positive light before those who conduct the survey.
