How to complain about a radio or TV programme in Ireland: the broadcaster, Coimisiún na Meán and the courts

If something false was said about you on radio or television, two deadlines matter more than anything else: 30 days to complain in writing to the broadcaster, and 14 days after its reply to refer the complaint to Coimisiún na Meán. Miss them and the regulatory route is gone, leaving only a court claim. This guide is for the person the programme was about.

The two deadlines

The 30 days run from the broadcast, not from when you heard about it. If the programme is also on a player or a podcast feed, the broadcast date still governs the regulatory complaint; the online version matters for the court clock, which is covered below.

Step one: the broadcaster

The complaint must be in writing and must reach the broadcaster within 30 days of the broadcast. It should:

• identify the programme: station or channel, programme name, date and time of broadcast;
• describe what was said about you, as closely as you can, with the point in the programme if you have it;
• say why it was wrong, unfair or in breach of the code you rely on;
• name the code and the rule you say was broken;
• say what you want: a correction, an apology, a right of reply on air, or removal from the player.

Keep a copy and proof of the date you sent it. The notice builder drafts the complaint from the details you give it. If the programme is still on the player, save a copy or note the exact timings now; how long broadcasters keep programmes available is not published here.

Step two: Coimisiún na Meán

If you are not satisfied with the broadcaster's reply, you can refer the complaint to Coimisiún na Meán within 14 days of receiving that reply. Coimisiún na Meán publishes the codes that broadcasters must follow; read the relevant code on cnam.ie and refer to the same rule you named in your complaint to the broadcaster. If the broadcaster does not reply at all, check the procedure published on cnam.ie; this guide does not cover that case.

The outcome is a decision on whether the code was breached. It is not an award of damages: compensation is a remedy only a court can order, under the Defamation Act 2009.

What this process is not

• It is not a defamation finding. Coimisiún na Meán decides whether a broadcasting code was breached. Whether a statement was defamatory is a question for a court, and the court applies the Defamation Act, not the codes.
• It is not the individual complaints mechanism for online content. Coimisiún na Meán is also to operate an individual complaints mechanism under the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022, but that has no confirmed launch date; it is tracked at the rule-change tracker.
• It is not the DSA route. Coimisiún na Meán is Ireland's Digital Services Coordinator under the Digital Services Act, but the Article 16 notice route is for content hosted on online platforms, not for a broadcaster's own programme. If a clip of the programme has been posted by someone else on social media, that is a separate publication by a different publisher with its own clock; the first-day guide covers it.

The press equivalent of this process, the Press Ombudsman, has its own deadlines and conditions; the newspaper complaint guide sets them out.

The court route

A defamation claim is brought under the Defamation Act 2009. Under s.6 a statement may be defamatory if it tends to injure your reputation in the eyes of reasonable members of society, was published to at least one person other than you, and identifies you or would be understood to refer to you. You do not need to prove financial loss. A broadcast is published to everyone who received it, so publication is rarely in dispute; identification can be, where you were not named.

The clock. One year from the date the cause of action accrued. For a broadcast that is in practice the date it went out. If the programme was also placed online, the cause of action for the online version accrues when it was first capable of being viewed. One cause of action covers every publication of the same statement to the public by the same publisher (s.11, the multiple publication rule), with the court's leave needed for a further action, so a repeat of the same programme by the same broadcaster is likely to sit inside the same cause of action, while a clip posted by someone else is a fresh publication with its own clock. The court may extend to two years where the interests of justice require it and the prejudice to you of refusing would significantly outweigh the prejudice to the broadcaster (Statute of Limitations 1957, s.11(2)(c) and (3A)). The clock guide has the detail and the time-limit tool works the dates.

The defences a broadcaster will raise. Truth (s.16); honest opinion (s.20), which matters for comment and panel discussion; qualified privilege (s.18); absolute privilege (s.17) for fair and accurate court reports, extended in 2026 to courts in Northern Ireland and elsewhere; fair and reasonable publication on a matter of public interest (s.26), which since 2026 requires public interest, a reasonable belief that publication was in the public interest, and good faith; and, new since 1 March 2026, a live-broadcast defence. The public interest defence guide covers s.26 in detail.

The live-broadcast defence

Phone-ins, live interviews and live commentary are where unscripted statements happen. The Defamation (Amendment) Act 2026 gives a broadcaster a defence where the statement was made in a live broadcast and reasonable steps were taken to prevent it. What counts as reasonable steps is not spelled out in this guide; a court will decide on the facts. For the person complaining, the defence protects the broadcaster, not the person who spoke: a guest or caller who made the statement may answer for their own words as a publisher. For the broadcaster, the evidence is the procedure that was in place on the day. The defences guide sets each defence beside what it needs in evidence, and the 2026 changes are tracked at the rule-change tracker.

What the court can order. General, aggravated and punitive damages. The Supreme Court's bands in Higgins v Irish Aviation Authority [2022] IESC 13 run from moderate (€0 to €50,000) through medium (€50,001 to €125,000) and serious (€125,001 to €199,000) to very serious (€200,000 to €300,000) and exceptional above that. Most cases of any kind settle within the €75,000 Circuit Court limit (RDJ, November 2025). The register at the awards register shows what has been reported. The court can also make a correction order (s.30), which since 2026 must have the same or similar prominence as the original, and a declaratory order (s.28) where you show the broadcaster has no defence likely to succeed. A broadcaster can make an offer of amends under ss.22 and 23 (a correction, an apology and compensation); if you reject it, it is a defence unless the broadcaster knew the statement was false, and a 10% discount on damages for an offer of amends was upheld in Higgins.

Cost. Planning assumptions, not a tariff: a solicitor's letter €300 to €1,000; opening a Circuit Court case about €1,500 plus VAT and upwards (one practitioner's published estimate); a contested Circuit Court trial €10,000 to €30,000 a side; High Court multiples of that. Costs follow the event, so a claimant whose case fails normally pays the broadcaster's costs. Civil legal aid does not cover defamation (Civil Legal Aid Act 1995, s.28(9)). The cost guide sets out each figure.

Choosing

The regulatory route is free and time-critical, and what it gives is a decision on the codes. The court route gives damages and orders with the force of law, at a cost and with a costs risk if the broadcaster's defence succeeds. Whether a regulatory complaint can run at the same time as court proceedings is a question to put to a solicitor before you start either; this guide does not cover it. What is certain is that the 30-day deadline arrives long before the one-year deadline, so the regulatory decision has to be made first.

Where this leaves you

The first deadline is 30 days from the broadcast, and the first task is a written complaint to the broadcaster that names the programme, what was said and the code rule you rely on. The notice builder drafts it from the details you give it. Keep an eye on the rule-change tracker for the individual complaints mechanism and for the parts of the 2026 Act that are not yet in force.