Standards Commissioner publishes finalised rules for government advertising

Standards commissioner George Hyzler has published guidelines to ensure that government advertising and promotional material are factually correct.

Published on Tuesday, the guidelines under public consultation in June say that state adverts and promotional material produced by the government or public entities should not include partisan content.

Pictures of ministers and adverts that feature their names must now abide by the new guidelines.

The guidelines state that leaflets and other documents other than adverts may include content that refers to the minister, as long as it is limited and contributes to a legitimate purpose.

Hyzler said that government-sponsored publication should indicate that it is publicly funded for the sake of transparency. Ministers should also direct public funds to the media for advertising in line with fair and objective criteria.

However, the guidelines do not cover all situations that may come about, stating that those matters will continue to be governed by the ministerial code of ethics.

The new guidelines were put into place after it was revealed that OPM minister Carmelo Abela had used €7,000 for an advertising campaign which was found not to have any “information of value” to the public.

READ MORE: Carmelo Abela's €7,000 advert 'clearly intended to boost his image', Commissioner concludes