Radio and Television Act, 1988

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Duty of sound broadcasting contractor in relation to programmes.

9.—(1) Every sound broadcasting contractor shall ensure that—

(a) all news broadcast by him is reported and presented in an objective and impartial manner and without any expression of his own views;

(b) the broadcast treatment of current affairs, including matters which are either of public controversy or the subject of current public debate, is fair to all interests concerned and that the broadcast matter is presented in an objective and impartial manner and without any expression of his own views: Provided that should it prove impracticable in relation to a single broadcast to apply this paragraph, two or more related broadcasts may be considered as a whole, if the broadcasts are transmitted within a reasonable period of each other;

(c) a minimum of—

(i) not less than 20 per cent. of the broadcasting time, and

(ii) if the sound broadcasting service is provided for more than 12 hours in any one day, two hours of broadcasting time between 07.00 hours and 19.00 hours, is devoted to the broadcasting of news and current affairs programmes; provided a derogation from this provision is not authorised by the Commission under section 15 ;

(d) anything which may reasonably be regarded as offending against good taste or decency, or as being likely to promote, or incite to, crime or as tending to undermine the authority of the State, is not broadcast by him;

(e) in programmes broadcast by him, and in the means employed to make such programmes, the privacy of any individual is not unreasonably encroached upon.

(2) Nothing in subsection (1) (a) or (1) (b) shall prevent a sound broadcasting contractor from transmitting political party broadcasts: Provided that a sound broadcasting contractor shall not, in the allocation of time for such broadcasts, give an unfair preference to any political party.

(3) The Commission shall draw up, and may, from time to time as occasion requires, revise a code governing standards and practice (hereinafter referred to as a code of practice) in relation to any matter specified in subsections (1) and (2).

(4) Whenever the Commission draws up pursuant to subsection (3) a code of practice relating to the matter in question every sound broadcasting contractor shall comply with such code and any revision thereof.