Blurred Keys

Gav Reilly ponders about the last edition of Question and Answers which excluded the central part of the show. The element which made Q&A what it was — the audience interaction.

That interaction lead to what will likely stand as one of the most powerful contributions in the programme’s history. Even those of us who felt sick after reading coverage of the Ryan Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, Michael O’Brien’s now famous appearance gave viewers a greater understanding of the pain and anger felt by victims of abuse and the way the Government was handling the issue.

Wouldn’t it have been great be able to open the floor some questions out of the Taoiseach,  who was the final guest? Ok, so, Brian Cowen would have been unlikely to appear if he knew uncomfortable questions could come from the floor. But that should not be the concern of a current affairs programme.

Unfortunately,  John Bowman not only wants focus on more on history, he started to do so heavy with the last show. And that would be ok, if he was not so uncritical in his methods. Soft questions — like how the Taoiseach comes across on TV — were the order of the day and too much rhetoric from Cowen left unchallenged. What was the point of the interview?

In a question on standing by former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds, Cowen answered:

“I see my job as being part of a collective authority which is cabinet and one supports the leader of the cabinet at all times. Without that you don’t get decision making…”

Isn’t this the type of unquestioning support of authority at all times the kind of environment that allowed abuse of children who were in the care of the State? Isn’t it the kind of environment the leaves too much room for bad decisions to be made on so many different levels? Has it not led to unaccountably?

Maybe it’s unfair to criticise Bowman when it seems to be standard in the media not to hold Government to account? Maybe Bowman is focused on some other part of the bigger picture I don’t see?

As Gav Reilly says:

The premise of the show was about getting public figures into a room and essentially holding them accountable. It will forever be a shame that the final guest, the most powerful the show could ever get hold of, was allowed to break that mould.

And to paraphrase Jeremy Paxman: When one is in a position to interview those in power the person should ask questions that people would expect to be asked, and continue until the question is actually answered. The amount of unquestioned rhetoric in the Cowen interview makes it fail this requirement. To be fair, Paxman also says one often gets it wrong.

The Broadcasting Complaints Commission has said ‘Biffo’, the nick name for the Taoiseach Brian Cowen, does not insult him and was "highly unlikely to cause widespread offence”.

Complainant, Charlie McGrory, objected on the grounds of fairness, objectivity and impartiality, and taste and decency, after presenter of RTE Radio 1 News at One, Sean O’Rourke (pictured), said "did Biffo blink?".

According to the BCI: "McGrory states he is not a Fianna Fáil member or activist but finds this reference to the office of Taoiseach disrespectful, lacking objectivity and in poor taste.  He wonders how we can encourage our young people to become active in politics when the national broadcaster refers to the Taoiseach as ‘Biffo’"

The acronym, depending on your point of view, can mean ‘Big Intelligent Fellow From Offaly’ or ‘Big Ignorant Fucker From Offaly’. RTE said it "has as much to do with a boy’s comic character from the 1950’s as it has to do with any reference to people from County Offaly. Indeed, the term has been used by Mr Cowen himself in a humorous context".

The broadcaster added that, generally speaking, it does not and will not use the term ‘Biffo’ when referring to the Taoiseach and this was used as a ‘headline’ to attract listeners to stayed tuned in before an ad break.

MORE: Decision in full (MS Word doc)
MORE: List of decisions of July 2008

A round-up of news, comment and other info from news sites blogs, and message boards etc…

Cardinal challenges the media’s ‘dominant’ secular view
Sunday World top of the pops as it avoids musical marketing
Ireland’s papers defy downward trends
JNLR July 07-June 08 Survey results issued (PDF)
ABC IofI report (PDF, link replaced when new report released)
Tom Dunne to Newstalk
Today FM to preserve Pet Sounds
Ray of sunshine
Muzu makes music pa
Media world: Too Late Late for Pat Kenny?
RTE promises ’spectacular’ first Late Late Show despite Kenny’s delay in signing up
Lung cancer under reported in Irish media - report
Sunday Times to launch monthly Irish edition of Style magazine
South Ossetian man angered by Irish media coverage
MediaBite Email Re: The €11m ‘gas bill’
Media ought to beware groups bearing surveys
Belfast Telegraph relaunched website sees huge traffic spike
Myers and Nigerians
RTE Television unveils new season
Sponsors fail to check in to Failte Towers
The Big Switch over
BCI National Conference Asks ‘Does the Medium Matter?’
O’Brien group told January DTT launch is a ‘fantasy’
Digital terrestrial TV available from autumn next year
Adverts rate alert for Channel 6
TV3 to buy Channel 6 for €10m
Is RTE Radio 1 being dumbed down?
Mandy and the Irish Media

A boards.ie user spotted the above story this morning on RTE.ie News where a map outline of the US state of Georgia was being used on a story about the country of the same name.

Regular Blurred Keys users will be aware of some their past errors and tabloidisation, regular readers of RTE.ie are probably even more aware of such. The online news section should not to be confused with the general RTE News, which is a different operation.

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University Collage Cork is to hold
a journalism conference next month which will ask if newspapers are on
their last leg and in danger of being replaced by new media.

The event will include speakers from newspapers and new media.

MORE: The Ballyfermot Post

An Irish Daily Mail colour article was found to be prejudicial and has led to a jury being dismissed in a libel action case against Ireland on Sunday, now the Irish Mail on Sunday.

The High Court libel action was taken by broadcaster Paddy
O’Gorman against Associated Newspapers. O’Gorman is suing the paper group over an
article published in 2003 which he claims accused him of displaying
"perverted sexuality" while taking part in the RTE Celebrity Farm reality
TV show.

MORE: Libel action halted after article (subs reqd)
MORE: Jury in O’Gorman trial discharged

RTE’s investigative journalism programme, Prime Time, has had a complaint against it upheld by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission.

A complaint against the broadcaster’s soap opera, Fair City, was also upheld. Both are in relation to mental health issues.

Meanwhile, a further seven complains against various programmes, shows, and advertisements were rejected.

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We think it was a story in the Evening Herald  which recently highlighted RTE competing with its self over high profile programming, the above image shows a prime example.

Prosperity on RTE One while David McWilliams’ latest TV show, the Generation Game, on RTE Two.

Both shows would most likely get higher viewership if not pitted against each other… although maybe this way more people will not tune into rivals?

Setanta Ireland and Setanta Golf channels are to be added to the digital terrestrial television trial in Ireland, the Department of Communications said yesterday, the new announcement must come as a blow to the cable companies NTL and Chorus who are currently advertising with a focus on the two Setanta sports stations.

The NTL and Chorus parent company, UPC Ireland, has previously warned the government not to “jeopardise” commercial investments.

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RTE.ie’s news editor has defended standards at the Irish state broadcaster’s online news arm saying defining stories as tabloid is “subjective”.

News editor Joe Zefran told Blurred Keys that the terms ‘tabloid news story’ and ‘respected state news outlet’ are “subjective at best”, and denied any trend of falling standards.

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