The media: Complementing the work of politicians… June 27, 2012
Posted by guestposter in Irish Politics.trackback
From Oireachtas Retort…
With Brendan Howlin still seeking a way around Abbeylara I thought this from Deputy Tom Hayes was worth highlighting again. On his elevation to Chair of the mouthful Joint Committee on the Environment, Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht last week this exchange took place.
Chairman: It is a great honour to take up this very responsible position. We are covering two Government Departments and there is a great debate across the transport, tourism, sports, communications and energy sectors. We can get our teeth into a lot of things, including transport issues in particular. There is a potential for tourism which is totally untapped, so we need to get involved in that. We are proud of our sporting achievements in this country and I can see a big potential for development in that regard. Communications is also an important sector. Other committees have invited the board of RTE to appear before them, but I think it is time we brought in the performers and commentators in RTE, including the Pat Kennys of this world. We should examine that matter at some future stage. I know the committee will have a heavy workload. Deputy O’Donovan is smiling but it is something we need to examine.
Deputy Patrick O’Donovan:
Like “Liveline”, Chairman.
Chairman: They are opinion formers and we should look at that matter at some stage in the future.
What matter needs examining here I wonder? A repeat of the display when Savage and Curran were brought in? An afternoon moralising and settling scores. In any case the underlying perception here is that as well as management, journalists and broadcasters are answerable to Oireachtas.
I had a look at the record for clues and there is was only a solitary suggestion that more horse racing be shown in the afternoons. He does however note
Nothing has complemented the work of politicians more than local radio stations.
Which is surely where some opinion formers are going wrong.
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
I guess journalists and broadcasters are answerable to the Oireachtas as the representatives of the people in much the same way Pat Kenny et al think politicians are answerable to them as the ‘voice of the people’? A fair amount of self-importance on both sides.
meanwhile some of us are trying to find an official body answerable to complaints about the highly misleading and offensive/shaming/generally publicly inappropriate Youth Defence abortion billboards – ASAI don’t have to do anything because they’re not fundraising and thus come under a non-commercial, ‘political’ exception in their code; while the Dept of Communications say they only deal with ‘broadcast’ communications and that it’s a matter for the Dept of Health (!)
more info here: http://www.sirenmagazine.ie/complainttemplate.html and on their twitter @Siren_magazine
sorry to thread-jack, it just seemed connected to the topic.
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Not a threadjack in the slightest. Definitely relevant.
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thanks wbs. after I posted I learned that Ivana Bacik had brought it up in the Seanad, and watched it online… potential material for a ‘Meanwhile back in the…’! Bradford, Ó Murchú and Mullen all acting to varying degrees as if the YD posters were some kind of samizdat against an oppressive regime (Ó Murchú actually brought up forced abortion in China). Mullen in particular has an almost hysterically paranoid view of the govt in relation to the pro-choice agenda, and the idea that ‘real views’ don’t get aired in the media seems to be a key part of that.
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[…] Tom Hayes (whom I’ve mentioned before in not unrelated circumstances) […]
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