Research from Bulgaria shows that in their coverage of elections, the media promote the views of the main contenders

Information presented by the media during election campaign helps voters choose among political contenders and the policy alternatives that they propose. Research, presented here by Petia Kostadinova, on media coverage of election pledges in Bulgaria demonstrates that unlike in established democracies, few of the specific promised made by political parties are reported in the news. Those that are, though, highlight the proposals made by the major political rivals, and also reflect policy issues that are of importance to the majority of voters.