Moratorium

The Sparrow

Can anybody tell me what the point of the moratorium on election coverage tomorrow is for? Doesn`t really seem like there is much logic to it IMO.

And is election coverage on boards included in the moratorium?

funktastic

Gives people space to make up their own minds.

DMC

Well, the papers tomorrow will have their opinion pieces.

AFAIK, it was done in the early days of radio, so that the papers can have the day to themselves to tell the paying public what they think. Radio and TV could still have a head start on the papers if reporting continued tomorrow, and the papers wouldn't necessarily report it the next day, polling day. Someone might explain it better, but I remember the question being asked before and that was roughly the answer.

Personally, I do like the idea of no reporting on the day before myself, as for the voter who might be undecided, it could offer a moment of contemplation and clarity.

The Sparrow

Is that the only reason for it? Surely if I want space to make up my mind I could just turn off the television or radio?

I just can`t really get my head around it... maybe I`m wrong but I don`t think other countries observe a moratorium. I think I would much prefer one last day of election coverage!

athtrasna

Some "interesting" notes on the Moratorium from a college project I did last year...and an article highlighting how "crazy! it all is!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


By Fionnan Sheahan (18/05/02)

CLOSE your eyes for a minute and go along with this imaginative and spurious daydream.

Content in the knowledge that the election is in the bag, Bertie Ahern, PJ Mara, Martin Mackin and a gaggle of Fianna Fail campaign workers emerge from FF HQ on Lower Mount Street late on Thursday night.

The gang decide to go for a pint in O’Dwyer’s Bar across the road.

Half a bucket of brandy and 73 pints of Bass later, the lads all stagger out the door, whooping and hollering and decide to head to Upper Mount Street to the Fine Gael head office.

The ensuing disturbances result in local residents calling the gardai.

Gardai arrive at the scene to find Bertie jumping on top of a car shouting “Come out and fight ye Blueshirts,” Mara and Mackin pelting the FG building with eggs.

The boys are thrown into the clanger in Pearse Street Station for the night and face public order charges.

The entire incident is captured on camera by a passing photographer, but it happens too late to get in any of the morning newspapers.

Bizarrely, whether or not to cover a sensational story like this yesterday morning would spark a moral and ethical dilemma in TV and radio stations throughout the country..........

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

· Moratorium appears to have been in place since 1965 when RTE television covered it’s first General Election. However, RTE’s own records don’t confirm the exact date or reason the moratorium originated.

· According to RTE the function of the moratorium is two-fold
o To allow a period of reflection where the voter is free form pressures of campaigning to decide how they will vote
o To allow any corrections or adjustments which may be necessary resulting from previous coverage which may have been judged as contentious

· Following the 1988 Radio & Television Act and the establishment of the Independent Radio & Television Commission (Later the BCI) and gave the commission the power to devise guidelines as appropriate. The moratorium was included in the first set of Election guidelines produced by the commission and has remained in effect since that time

· Not legally binding but in cases of breach, BCI issues a breach of contract notice which may harm re-granting of licence

· Applies to all independent Radio & Television stations licensed in the state (excludes RTE and any non-domestic broadcasters eg Sky)

· For 24 hours before polling day and while polls open, candidate, political parties and interest groups may not be mentioned not can any station carry coverage of items likely to influence the outcome of the election

· By-elections not included in BCI ban but RTE applied it to last By-Election campaign

· Not likely to be reviewed by the BCI on the basis that the response from broadcasters is generally a positive one, RTE say so engrained on the electoral system at this stage that unless there is a campaign mounted to remove the moratorium they are unlikely to do so

mike65

I thank God we have this 24 hours of rest. No waffling for a day then a beano for 24-28 hours as the country goes count crazeeeee (or not as the case may be). Then 2 weeks of bargining I fear.

Mike.

Wishbone Ash

athtrasna wrote:

CLOSE your eyes for a minute...........

If I do, how do I read the rest of your post?

johnlambe

I thought the reason for the moratorium was to protect against the risk of a party putting out a serious false statement (Would they really do that? ), which would sway voters, with no time for a rebuttal.

I suppose then, that if such a statement were broadcast just before the moratorium, they would probably be prepared to broadcast a rebuttal in the day before the election.

Stargal

It's interesting that the blogosphere will be carrying on as normal tomorrow (and I'd guess even a bit busier than usual, what with making last-minute predictions for Thursday). I'd guess a lot of people will be looking online to get some info, since they won't be getting it from tv or radio.

Victor Meldrew

woooo232 wrote:

Can anybody tell me what the point of the moratorium on election coverage tomorrow is for? Doesn`t really seem like there is much logic to it IMO.

And is election coverage on boards included in the moratorium?

I think the real reason is to stop scare & Smear tactics from parties when there is not the time for right to reply from the "wronged" party. The Idea for reflection is just a polite acknowledgement that politics gets dirty....

Jambo

Folks Can anyone confirm if the moratorium is in place today (election day)as this morning in my estate we have canvassers going from door to door delivering letters on how and who to vote for on official party headed paper !

ednwireland

i thought the moratorium was only for the day before the election. party workers obviously want to be out on the day trying to get the electorate out to vote.
mind you our 2 weekly community paper was out yesterday and full of election coverage so there you go

BattlingCheese

yup still in effect until end of polling. (10:30pm tonight)

Moratorium only effects TV and Radio.
Print and "face to face" canvassing is allowed

Jambo

Cheers for clarifing that folks , the letter was actually more like a plea from Fine Gael's local candidate Regina Doherty to get your no 1 vote !

athtrasna

The moratorium is BROADCAST only. It amazes me how many people think it applies to canvassers and leaflets too.

CrowdedHouse

Any one remember the way it used to be up 'til the 90's(I think) when all the parties would be camped outside the polling station gate/door handing out flyers etc.trying to find out your number so they could mark off their own copies of the register as you were on your way in.
Sometimes it was a bit if craic other times it was like running the gauntlet.

johnlambe

Wednesday's Evening Herald carried a story which might highlight the reason for a moratorium (it doesn't apply to the papers): The story is about candidates from certain parties (none from my party) who received cheques (donations) from a property developer. Someone who didn't read the full story might not realise that these were unsolicted and were not cashed. Is the Evening Herald trying to smear these candidates?

In my opinion, a moratorium is only useful if an exception can be made, in some circumstances, for rebuttals (otherwise, someone could smear a candidate just before the moratorium begins and he/she couldn't respond).
In this case, the affected parties could not respond.

I was guessing, in my previous post, that exceptions could be made. Maybe I'm wrong, or maybe the broadcast media would only make an exception if they realised that they had themselves published something misleading.

28064212

johnlambe wrote:

Wednesday's Evening Herald carried a story which might highlight the reason for a moratorium (it doesn't apply to the papers): The story is about candidates from certain parties (none from my party) who received cheques (donations) from a property developer. Someone who didn't read the full story might not realise that these were unsolicted and were not cashed. Is the Evening Herald trying to smear these candidates?

I don't think so. Just from glancing at the headline, all you knew was that some politicians had received some cheques. It was made very clear in the first paragraph that they were unsolicited and returned. It's not like they left that detail off the front page