Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The public consultation process on the regulation of online advertising was launched on 21 September and views can be submitted up to 19 October. It is planned to hold the open policy forum at the end of November, after the presidential election and the inauguration of the President, to allow sufficient time for analysis of submissions. We do not think it would be appropriate to host the forum during a presidential election campaign. That is the reason for setting the date. In September the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland launched guidelines for the coverage of general, presidential, Seanad, local and EU elections. The guidelines set out requirements to be met by broadcast companies in their coverage of elections and which apply in addition to the rules in the BAI's code of fairness, objectivity and impartiality in coverage of news and current affairs. They provide guidance for broadcasters on the manner in which fairness, objectivity and impartiality may be achieved in their coverage. They are updated periodically by the BAI in advance of elections or referendums.

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