The role of the media in criminal policy governing electoral crimes and violations

The media, as a source of election information, is one of the main manifestations of a transparent society. On the other hand, transparency in executive and supervisory organizations plays an important role in protecting the votes of the people. In this descriptive-analytical study, while emphasizing that the penalties do not affect the results of elections and restoring the lost public trust, we examine the role of the media in different stages of election and prevention of electoral crimes and violations. Based on the results, it can be said that the media can greatly reduce electoral crimes and violations by increasing the transparency and efficiency of preventive measures and making it difficult or impossible to commit the crimes and violations. It seems that in the Iranian elections, the free role of the media is faced with serious doubts, and this has affected their performance, especially in the prevention of electoral crimes and violations. The root of many of these crimes and violations is the lack of knowledge of the rules and legal procedures related to the elections. The position of the media in Iran is fundamentally weak, even if it try to improve the awareness of citizens.