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Broadcasting Law

Broadcasting law is rarely the subject of litigation- being mostly a function of regulation and regulators rather than the courts. However, it frequently attracts very considerable media attention as it strikes to the heart of media activity. The areas discussed range from court reporting and privilege to Defamation, to the regulations seeking to enforce (or impose) a particular definition of fairness and/or balance. There are fora other than the Courts which may accept complaints made about particular breaches of broadcasting regulations or statutes. We discuss some of them across these posts. We have also provided you with an occasional assessment of how reasonable or otherwise the actual rules being enforced really are. Broadcasting is one of the main powers and privileges of a modern society. The influence of broadcasters is reflected in the intense scrutiny they work under and the wide-scale regulation of their actions they must accept as the price of their work.

Secret(ive) Courts

Construction may be everything; if the object of criticism thinks the criticism may lower him/her in the estimation of right-thinking members of the community he/she may sue for defamation.

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Truth?

Domestically, what is in issue is this: on what possible moral basis does the Oireachtas claim the right to restrict the public expression of opinion?

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Disclaimer!

Of course, what Eoin O’Dell is too courteous to point out is that it is not an attractive human feature to try to avoid paying, or properly paying, for a service, but that is a vain complaint in the knowledge that some people contract, through the internet, with anonymous suppliers of drugs…

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Say nothing rather than something

Consequently, a reporter should not look for the “core” of his or her report in the pleadings or in the characterisation of the case by counsel or in some diatribe by the judge (unless he or she is working for a “red-top”; then, always go for the diatribe).

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Ex Parte

For this reason a court has to be very careful in making orders ex parte. The absolute necessity for the making of the order without notification to the respondent must be shown. Considerable damage may be inflicted on the respondent, unfairly, by an order restraining the respondent from acting in some matter or fashion.

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JERRY SPRINGER – THE OPERA

I knew little of this show.

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Climate change is politics

So, climate change has now definitely joined with Godzilla and pasta in the ranks of “ploiticalâ€? issues,

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Pasta

We call for the abolition of pastaciutta,

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Godzilla

Godzilla is widely recognised as expressing Japanese fears of attack from the United States of America. His activities have varied from film to film but trampling Tokyo is an enduring theme. a) Tokyo is the capital city of Japan. It embodies Japanese political power. b) Godzilla films allude to the destruction of this power. c) Therefore, Godzilla films are political; d) Therefore advertisements for Godzilla films, on commercial radio, should be banned by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. See our […]

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Politics with a small p

Broadcasting Complaints Commission get it wrong again.

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