By:almotamar.net - SANA'A- The Human Rights Information and Training Center (HRITC) revealed Tuesday the indications of the first phase, which started on 23 August, to monitor election coverage in official media and a number of independent newspapers.

Izz Addin al-Asbahi, head of the HRITC, said the program of monitoring election coverage has been implemented in cooperation with the Denmark-based International Supporting Information Organization, and Slovakia-based Monitoring Media Organization. The HRITC will issue two reports on the September elections coverage in media, as well as issue the legislative and political environment in which Yemeni media works, and then issue a final report after announcing the elections' results, al-Asbahi added.

Al-Asbahi further noted that media is the voice of right and democracy, and should be neutral when tackling main issues.

On his part, Adel al-Salahi, supervisor of the monitoring program, made it clear that the program monitored the Yemeni Satellite channel, local channel, Sana'a and Aden radio stations, the five official newspapers (al-Thawra, al-Jumhurriya, October, al-Wahdah, and 26 September), and seven independent newspapers (al-Ayyam, al-Nass, al-Nida, al-Wasat, al-Balagh, Akhbar al-Yawm, al-Shomou, al-Ray al-A'am), starting from the beginning of the presidential campaigns.

As the indications of the first phase presented during a press conference held Wednesday didn't refer to results of monitoring independent newspapers, focusing only on official media, persons in-charge of the program affirmed it is not allowed to deal with such indications as they are incomplete.

The HIRTC cited some examples of election coverage in some official newspapers. Faisal Bin Shamlan has got 24 percent while Ali Abdullah Saleh 17 percent in the coverage of al-Thawra newspaper, which means Bin Shamlan started his campaign before Saleh. The 26 September covered only news for Ali Abdullah Saleh as president of the country. Covering rallies in Yemeni radios and TVs was equal.