League of Women Voters of Larchmont/Mamaroneck
Policy on Recording of Candidates’ Debate Forums
Candidates’ Debate Forums that will be taped for cable and will appear live on LMC-TV will be aired at various future dates prior to the election. Since scheduling is the province of the cable companies, the League of Women Voters cannot assume responsibility for assuring that proper program scheduling information is disseminated.
When feasible, the League will post a copy of the program on its own website. Candidates participating in LWV of L/M Debate Forums must agree to the League Video Policy and acknowledge that:
1. The forum is owned and sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Larchmont-Mamaroneck.
2. Only those authorized by the League may record any forum; any use of recordings requires the advance approval of the League.
3. Anyone who is permitted to record a forum is authorized to air it only in its entirety; only licensed media, including TV, radio and newspapers, are entitled by FCC regulations to air portions of the forum.
4. No candidate is permitted to edit the footage for campaign purposes.
5. When feasible, the League will post the forum, in its entirety, on the League media and authorize other local chapters to post on their websites.
Moderator’s Responsibility: It is the moderator’s responsibility to prohibit recording. He/she will announce at the beginning of the forum that:
Cell phones should be turned off as a matter of courtesy and unauthorized videos are not permitted.
The League owns the forum, and only those permitted by the League may record – and even those must air the forum in its entirety, because the FCC requires that a debate must not be edited and must be broadcast in its entirety, either live or reasonably soon after it takes place.
If a person is observed to be recording, the moderator will pause the forum and ask the person to stop. The moderator will not resume until the person stops recording. The moderator will terminate the forum if the person will not stop or leave.