No equality in the Irish referendum debate
August 10, 2009 by Infowars Ireland
In previous referendum campaigns public broadcasters were obliged to give equal coverage of both the Yes and the No campaigns, after a former professor at Trinity College, Anthony Coughlan, made a complaint at Irish courts in June 1997 over unbalanced media coverage by the public broadcaster RTE, which gave 42,5 minutes coverage to the yes-camp and 10 minutes to the no-camp in a referendum on divorce.
Announced by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI), the new guidelines clarify that there is no requirement to allocate an absolute equality of airtime to opposing sides of the referendum debate during editorial coverage.
The outcome of the Irish referendum will be eagerly awaited in the rest of Europe, with the text to create important new posts in the EU hierarchy, give more voting power to large EU states, reduce the scope of national vetos and give more law-making responsibility to MEPs.
this and more in EUobserver
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This development has been carefully trailed in Ireland by tame journalists and politicians since the last referendum. The aim is to close down debate and allow the Yes side to gain most of the coverage. The justifications for this denial of cemocracy are extraordinary. Former EU Commissioner Peter Sutherland has stated that “In the event that one side (or part of one side) of a referendum campaign is making claims that cannot be substantiated in fact or in law, it is not unfair to that side, nor is it partial, to conclude that the claim in question is unsubstantiated and to act accordingly by not giving it equal air time. That is what editorial responsibility is all about.”
But of course who makes the decision on what is substantiated by fact or law in a fast moving campaign? Claims that the EU has “contributed to peace” are not substantiated by fact of law, rather by opinion. The Yes campaign of course will not find itself excluded from a tame media for making these bland generalisations it made last time. Far from it. Journalists on state radio and tv, which is effectively the mouthpiece of the establishment and the Yes side, will not exercise editorial responsibility in their campaigns to smear the No side and deny it meaningful coverage. Can anyone seriously see state radio and tv questioning dubious ‘yes’ claims on this basis. No, it is of a part with the much heralded plan to try and deny coverage to the No campaign while smearing and trashing it on the basis of personality and the setting up of false claims about its stance on different issues.
The result of the next referendum will be the biggest kick up the arse that the Irish Bilderberg Group and their EU counterparts ever get despite their attempts to subvert democracy and the Irish constutition!