Government decision to lift Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act.
The broadcasting ban was introduced in 1971 and prohibited RTÉ from broadcasting anything that could be interpreted as supporting the aims or activities of organisations which engage in, promote, encourage or advocate the attaining of any political objective by violent means.
The decision to lift the broadcasting ban will no doubt give RTÉ and other broadcasting organisations more leeway in their coverage of Northern Ireland.
There are still restrictions on what can be broadcast. Section 18 (1A) of the Broadcasting Act prohibits the broadcast of anything which may reasonably be regarded as being likely to promote or incite to crime or as tending to undermine the authority of the State.
Late last year, RTÉ submitted guidelines to the Minister for Communications in the event of the ban being lifted. Director of News at RTÉ, Joe Mulholland, outlines how the broadcaster would operate in the event of the lifting of the ban.
Niall Stokes, Independent Radio and Television Commission (IRTC) says that he would like to see broadcasters themselves take responsibility.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) says that any guidelines issued should allow journalists to practice their profession without any undue interference. Eoin Ronayne (NUJ) says that the organisation welcomes the lifting of the ban but believes that Section 31 needs to be completely removed from the Irish Statute Book.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 11 January 1994. The reporter is Michael O'Kane.
