Moratorium

brettmirl

From the BCI's website:

A moratorium on coverage of the Local and European Elections 2009 will operate for the entire day before the poll takes place and throughout the day of the poll itself until polling stations close i.e. from 12.01am on Thursday 4th June 2009 until 10pm on Friday 5th

This provision has two objectives which are as follows: -

1. The moratorium is an additional mechanism to ensure that fairness, objectivity and impartiality are achieved by the broadcast media during this critical period in the polling process. June 2009.
2. Allowing voters a period for reflection in the final stages of the Election campaigns.

During the moratorium period, broadcasters should ensure that broadcast output does not include references to election issues, electioneering by candidates, political parties and electoral interests and references by any on-air personnel (including guests) to the merits or otherwise of the candidates and their policies.

Is there any need for a radio & TV black-out?
Especially when the same thing doesn't happen in print or online?

solice

Yes, its nice to get a break from it all!

brettmirl

But unless you stay off the internet for the day and ignore the newspapers too, you won't be getting any break.

P. Breathnach

mick_irl wrote: »

But unless you stay off the internet for the day and ignore the newspapers too, you won't be getting any break.

One difference is that people use television and radio in a quasi-passive way.