Petition Filed Against Channel 14 Election Night Broadcast
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
The Academy for a Democratic Israel filed a petition against Channel 14's election night program, "The Patriots," fearing it would leak exit poll results before polls close. The organization also sought to block even satirical content, arguing it could influence voters. The Central Elections Committee chairman has ordered Channel 14 to respond by noon, while the program is still slated to air tonight.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- An organization petitioned to block Channel 14's "The Patriots" election night broadcast.
- The petition cited a promo suggesting "The Patriots" would leak exit polls before polls close.
- The group also sought to prevent even satirical content from airing before 10 PM.
- The Central Elections Committee chairman ordered Channel 14 to respond by noon.
- The program is expected to air as scheduled tonight at 9 PM.
An organization called "The Academy for a Democratic Israel" filed a petition on Tuesday against Channel 14, seeking to prevent the broadcast of its special election night program, "The Patriots." The petition was submitted just hours before the show was scheduled to air at 9:00 PM, alleging a potential violation of election laws.
The legal action was prompted by a promotional clip released by the channel with the headline, "An hour before everyone else: The Patriots leak the exit polls." The organization interpreted this as an intention to reveal election exit poll results before polling stations close, urging the Central Elections Committee to intervene immediately.
Remarkably, the petitioners argued that even if "The Patriots" planned to present only satirical or humorous data unrelated to actual exit polls, its broadcast should also be prevented. They contended that presenting any data before 10:00 PM could influence voters, particularly concerning parties close to the electoral threshold.
The organization requested an injunction against Channel 14 and asked that the channel be ordered to pay legal expenses. The Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, has not yet ruled on the petition. He has ordered Channel 14 to respond to the allegations by 12:00 PM.
Despite the attempt to interfere with the broadcast's content, "The Patriots" program is expected to air as scheduled at 9:00 PM, hosted by Yinon Magal from the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, followed by the main election broadcast.
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