Ireland’s Election Broadcast Moratorium Ends, New “Additional Care” Rules Introduced

The broadcasting moratorium rule, which applied to television and radio stations in the Republic of Ireland during general elections, will be abolished and substituted with new regulations. Previously, this rule prohibited television and radio stations from airing any content that might sway voters, starting from 14:00 local time on the day preceding polling day until the closure of polling stations. On Friday, Coimisiún na Meán, the media regulator, declared that the moratorium, which had been active since 1997, is being superseded by an “additional care requirement”. An Irish general election is broadly anticipated to be scheduled later in the current year. This determination stems from a review of the moratorium rule undertaken by Coimisiún na Meán, which began in February of this year. Certain broadcasters had previously advocated for the removal of the moratorium, arguing that it no longer aligned with the contemporary media environment, given that online media outlets were not compelled to cease election reporting the day prior. Broadcasters are now obligated to exercise heightened caution during what Coimisiún na Meán has termed the “critical election period”. For this duration, Coimisiún na Meán stated that broadcasters should “treat with extreme care information relating to the election that it believes, or has reason to believe, has been circulated with the intention of misleading or confusing voters or that is likely to mislead or confuse voters.” The regulator indicated that the application of the “additional care” requirement falls within the editorial discretion of each broadcaster, potentially involving broadcasters refuting or rectifying misunderstandings stemming from deceptive information. Furthermore, they specified that broadcasters must exercise extra caution to guarantee that opinions voiced by program contributors do not disrupt the electoral process “by making a false or misleading claim with respect to election procedures”. Additionally, broadcasters are requested to refrain from reporting on opinion polls or exit polls while polling stations are open. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.