The inspection board is the field organ of official announcement supervision. The Regulation governs both who it consists of and how the journalist member is determined.
Frequency of Inspection — Art. 92
| Situation | Rule |
|---|---|
| A publication holding the right, or within the waiting period | Inspected at least once every 2 years |
| How the 2 years are counted for a publication within the waiting period | The most recently determined starting date of the waiting period is taken into account |
| Interim inspection during the waiting period | On signed request, or directly according to the need felt |
| Inspection at the end of the waiting period | On the signed request of the publication |
| A newspaper, magazine or site holding the advertisement right | May be inspected where considered necessary |
| Electronic medium (Added: Official Gazette 10/12/2024-32748) | Inspections may also be carried out in the electronic medium; the procedures and principles are determined by the Board of Directors |
Determination of Candidate Journalist Members — Art. 93
Art. 93/1: The candidate journalist members of the inspection boards are determined by the Board of Directors in December, for 2 years, from among those who hold a press card as intellectual workers and who are proposed by the Director General.
| Element | Content |
|---|---|
| Qualification | Holding a press card as an intellectual worker |
| Proposal | From among those proposed by the Director General |
| Term | 2 years |
| Timing | In December |
| Deciding organ | The Board of Directors |
- Art. 93/2: The place of candidate members who are found to be unable to serve is taken by new ones appointed by the same procedure.
- Art. 93/3: Those who have served on inspection boards in previous years may become candidate members again. The retirement of an intellectual worker is not an obstacle to candidacy for membership of an inspection board.
Composition of the Board — Art. 94
Art. 94/1: The Directorate General is empowered to form a sufficient number of inspection boards to meet the need, and to have those boards carry out work without being bound by place or time.
Art. 94/2: The inspection boards that will inspect newspapers or internet news sites, and the new inspection boards to be formed where needed, consist of 2 Agency officials, being 1 chair and 1 member appointed by the Director General. Where considered necessary, 1 journalist member holding a press card as an intellectual worker may also be included in the board.
| Member | Mandatory? |
|---|---|
| 1 chair — Agency official | Mandatory |
| 1 member — Agency official | Mandatory |
| 1 journalist member — press card holder as an intellectual worker | Optional — where considered necessary |
Forming a New Board — Art. 92/4
Where it is found necessary as a result of an objection made against the reports they draw up, inspection boards may be formed to which members who did not serve on the previous board are appointed.
We covered objections to the report in how to object to an inspection board report, and the duties of the board in what the inspection board checks.
Inspection Expenses — Art. 96
| Type of inspection | Who pays the expense? |
|---|---|
| Inspection carried out of the Agency’s own motion | The Agency |
| Interim and final inspections on request | The newspaper or internet news site concerned |
| In the case of a report or complaint | The person making the report or complaint — before the inspection |
| Where the inspection cannot be carried out or lasts longer than 1 day through the fault of the publication | The difference in expense is borne by the publication |
Art. 96/5: where a publication requests an inspection, the Agency requests the inspection expense within 5 working days at the latest from the entry of the request into the records. The expense is transferred to the bank account within the 15 working days stated in the instruction; the inspection is then carried out within a further 15 working days.
Art. 96/1: the procedures and principles concerning the daily allowances and travel expenses to be paid to inspection board members are determined by the General Assembly.
Conclusion
An inspection board consists of 2 Agency officials, being 1 chair and 1 member appointed by the Director General; where considered necessary, 1 journalist member holding a press card as an intellectual worker may be included. Candidate journalist members are determined by the Board of Directors in December, for 2 years, from among those proposed by the Director General; having served in previous years and being retired are not obstacles to candidacy.