NN Online :
The Election Commission (EC) has issued a new set of guidelines barring journalists from staying inside polling booths for more than 10 minutes or going live on social media from within the booths during the upcoming 13th parliamentary election.
According to the ‘Guidelines for Journalists/Media Personnel Assigned to Cover Election News 2025’, only accredited journalists with valid EC-issued cards will be allowed entry into polling centres. Upon arrival, they must inform the presiding officer before collecting information, taking photos, or recording videos.
However, journalists are strictly prohibited from filming or photographing within the secret area of the polling booths.
Key restrictions include:
A maximum of two journalists from different media outlets may enter a polling booth at one time.
Journalists cannot interview polling agents, voters, or officials inside booths.
Livestreaming from inside polling booths is completely banned.
If livestreaming is necessary, it must be done from outside the booth, at a distance, without disrupting voting.
Journalists will be allowed into vote counting rooms to observe and take photos but may not livestream the process. No form of live broadcasting via Facebook or other social media from inside booths is permitted.
Additionally, journalists must not:
Obstruct election officials or touch election materials,
Campaign or share content that could be seen as biased,
Disobey lawful instructions from presiding officers.
Violations of these rules may result in the revocation of media passes, and further legal action may be taken against the journalist and the respective media outlet under election laws.
Although the guidelines mention ‘international news agencies’, no reference is made to ‘local news agencies’, a gap that mirrors the 2023 guidelines. These new rules will apply to both national and local elections.
The EC stated that these measures aim to ensure a free, fair, and peaceful electoral process, with minimal changes from the 2023 version.
Source : UNB
