RTÉ has introduced tighter rules on the broadcasting of advertisements with "political content" following a ruling of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission (BCC).
An RTÉ spokesman said yesterday the commission's "stricter interpretation" of the law meant it was no longer in a position to air advertisements for public meetings at which "political issues" would be discussed.
He was defending RTÉ's decision to withdraw a radio advert for a conference in Kildare tomorrow organised by human rights groups Afri and Frontline.
The advertisement declared that there would be "eyewitness accounts [at the conference] from the Niger Delta and Rossport, Darfur, Iraq and Shannon Airport".
It has also emerged that RTÉ told the Irish Cancer Society to tone down a radio advert relating to a campaign for health services because it might breach the BCC's guidelines.
The society was ordered to delete from the advertisement a reference to the fact that it was "lobbying Government to urgently implement a free nationwide cervical cancer-screening programme".
An earlier version of the advert, suggesting that Minister for Health Mary Harney had reneged on a Government promise to introduce such a screening programme, was also deemed unacceptable.
Peter Feeney, RTÉ head of public affairs policy, said it had no choice but to tighten its rules following the BCC decision. "They have decided on a stricter interpretation and, regrettably, Afri is the first to fall foul of that."
The commission's decision relates to a complaint by the retail group RGDATA against the National Consumer Agency (NCA) over an advertisement last summer on the Groceries Order. The BCC ruled that by directing listeners to a website and phone number at which they could access information on the NCA's stance on the issue, the advert had been aimed at a political end, and, as such, was banned under broadcasting legislation.
Actor Donal O'Kelly, who narrated the Afri ad, stressed there were no political views expressed in it. "I would challenge RTÉ to come up with another form of words which allows us to explain what the event is about," said Mr O'Kelly, who is also a director of Afri.
Green Party chairman John Gormley supported Afri, saying: "This smacks of censorship and the decision should be reversed immediately."
