THE BROADCASTING Commission of Ireland (BCI) yesterday published guidelines it wants television and radio outlets to abide by during coverage of the Lisbon Treaty.
The BCI said rules for commercial, community, institutional and temporary broadcasters will take effect immediately following a Government process announcing the date when the referendum is to be held. Although Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has already signalled that June 12th will be the actual polling day, a spokesman for the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government said the date has yet to be formally disclosed via a "polling day order" by Minister for the Environment John Gormley.
The BCI has indicated that three main changes have been made to the regulations governing referendum broadcasts this time round, compared to previous referendums. These alterations include an extension of the moratorium period prior to the referendum - specifically from 12.01am on the day before polling stations up until they close.
The moratorium for programme makers, which prohibits any type of broadcast coverage of treaty debate, previously applied from 7.30am on the day before the referendum. However, the BCI said other changes have been made which will mean a less restrictive approach to news and current affairs reporting during the moratorium period. This means broadcasters and guests can talk about Europe or on how Ireland has benefited from the EU, but can not discuss the treaty or related amendments.