Irish Bishops -v- RTÉ

The Catholic bishops have called on the government to support religious discussion programmes in its proposed Broadcasting Bill, which is before the Oireachtas.

The draft bill includes religious activities among the programming the government says RTE should show. In a submission to the Oireachtas committee examining the bill, the Irish Bishops’ Conference said the religious remit should go further.

The communications office representing the bishops said in the submission: ‘‘This coverage should not be confined to religious activities alone - for example, worship services.‘‘In Ireland’s pluralist society of 2007, RTE, as the national public-service broadcaster, should be supporting religious discussion programmes in addition to worship programmes. For example, programmes which facilitate debate and discussion on spiritual, social, family, education and on moral matters of importance to the religious beliefs of the Irish people.

‘‘The centrality of religion to our culture and the contribution that religion makes to - and how it interfaces with - our changing society, at home and abroad, should be an ongoing theme in the subject matter considered by RTE programme-makers.”

The submission called for a forum to be set up by RTE to represent religious groups in Ireland to ‘‘facilitate comment and feedback’’ on the station’s programming.The forum would be based on the model used for the audience council, which provides feedback on programmes.The proposed bill will establish a new regulator, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.

Unlike the existing Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, the new authority will have regulatory powers over all broadcasters, including RTE.

It will also make the Irish language station TG4 fully independent of RTE.

CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE PRESS RELEASE 26TH JANUARY 2007

Catholic Communications Office of the Irish Bishops' Conference

Submission to the econsultation process for the proposed Broadcasting Bill
Section 109 3 (a) of the draft heads of the proposed Broadcasting Bill is to be welcomed as it endorses the presence of coverage of religious activities. However this coverage should not be confined to religious activities alone, for example, worship services.

In Ireland’s pluralist society of 2007, RTÉ, as the national public service broadcaster, should be supporting religious discussion programmes in addition to worship programmes, for example, programmes which facilitate debate and discussion on spiritual, social, family, education and on moral matters of importance to the religious beliefs of the Irish people.

Market research at a local broadcasting level indicates that there is a demand and a need for such content in programming and this should also be reflected at a national level. The centrality of religion to our culture and the contribution that religion makes to - and how it interfaces with - our changing society, at home and abroad, should be an ongoing theme in the subject matter considered by RTÉ programme-makers.

Similar to the role played by its Audience Council, RTÉ should establish a forum for the media representatives of religions in Ireland in order to facilitate comment and feedback on its programming content.

Models for dialogue between media representatives of religions and broadcast networks have been adopted by public service and commercial broadcasters elsewhere.

ENDS
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