Why are act titles read out on the news in Ireland?

ldxo15wus6fpgm

Something I have wondered for a long time. In the UK, when a criminal case is brought to light by the media (say the BBC for example) it is rare that they would say "Joe bloggs was arrested under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1861" on the news etc. when reporting on a case.

But here in Ireland, the newsreader always says under which act the suspect has been arrested under and sometimes even the section.

Is there some legal obligation on the media to say under which act a person was arrested here in Ireland? Or is there any reason for it at all?

NoQuarter

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=78936681

ldxo15wus6fpgm

Ha! It seems my memory is failing me after all. I was wondering whether or not I'd asked it before...

Grolschevik

Mayson Low Space wrote: »

Ha! It seems my memory is failing me after all. I was wondering whether or not I'd asked it before...

There didn't seem to be a definitive answer as to why it's done in Ireland but not in Britain, though. Or did I miss something in my speed read?

Mind you, that question is probably more to do with the nature of journalism training and police press officers in the two countries rather than anything legal.

NoQuarter

Grolschevik wrote: »

There didn't seem to be a definitive answer as to why it's done in Ireland but not in Britain, though. Or did I miss something in my speed read?

You must have. It tells people what power a person was arrested under. This can give an indication in certain circumstances of what type of offence it was. It also lets us know how long they can be detained for etc etc.

Grolschevik

NoQuarter wrote: »

You must have. It tells people what power a person was arrested under. This can give an indication in certain circumstances of what type of offence it was. It also lets us know how long they can be detained for etc etc.

Oh, I got that. I just didn't get why they apparently don't do something similar in Britain. That said, back in the day, it was often mentioned on the British and Northern news that a person had been arrested under the PTA...

Victor

1. Padding
2. It means they made a specific comment, not one that could be easily misinterpreted and defamatory.

Grolschevik

Victor wrote: »

1. Padding
2. It means they made a specific comment, not one that could be easily misinterpreted and defamatory.

So essentially a different journalistic ethos.

BattleCorp

I can't see why the media would bother publishing the act the person was charged under as it means nothing to 99.9% of the general public. Surely that info is only slightly useful to somebody who works in the legal system.

Kosseegan

The media get press releases from the guards. Editing the press release might mean that the level of co-operation from the press office declines.

Victor

Actually, that's a good point - they are simply rehashing press releases, the PR will have the actual act stated.