A Liveline caller who accused RTE host Joe Duffy of "repeatedly interrupting him" has had his complaint rejected by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI).
The caller said he was left "hurt, angry and disappointed" after he accused Duffy of "repeatedly interrupting him" and using his full name during a debate about the Irish language.
The man rang the RTE Radio 1 show on February 17 to discuss the amendment to the Official Languages Act, which would require 20% of all new recruits to the public service to be reserved for people competent in the Irish language. However in a complaint to the BAI, the man said he was not treated fairly when speaking to Joe Duffy on-air.
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The BAI said: “The complainant states that the on-air conversation left him feeling hurt, angry and disappointed. The complainant says he was not given the opportunity to speak, he was repeatedly interrupted, and he was accused of things that were not true.
“The complainant states that he was shocked and disappointed when the presenter used his full name on air because he did not give permission to use his full name and he believes that it is not common practice on the programme to refer to people’s full names.
“The complainant was not happy with how the presenter challenged him about a fact he presented on the percentage of Department of Education staff who are able to provide services in Irish. The complainant, in his complaint, cites a report on RTE’s website referencing RTE’s own use of this fact.
“The complainant believes the presenter attributed views to him that he had not expressed, citing an example of the presenter suggesting he was discriminating against kitchen staff or working class people.
"The complainant believes he was not treated in a fair manner and he believes the broadcast was not presented in an objective and impartial manner, without the expression of the broadcasters’ own views.”
In their response, RTE “expresses regret that the on-air conversation was a source of anger and disappointment for the complainant but believes that the presenter treated the complainant fairly and with respect.”
“The broadcaster notes the complainant was given an opportunity to participate in the debate and was given the majority of time in the Irish language segment.”
A rep for RTE said that a researcher on the programme called the complainant after the complainant had texted the programme and took a detailed summary along with the complainant’s name and address and that the complainant did not advise the researcher that he did not consent to his surname being used in the broadcast.
“The broadcaster states that it is normal practice to use full names on the programme. The broadcaster refutes the claim by the complainant that the presenter interrupted him every time he spoke, contending that the presenter asked questions in response to points raised by the complainant and opposed arguments with alternative views, which is an appropriate method for teasing out the points.
“The broadcaster claims it is clear from the transcript of the programme that the complainant received time and opportunity to make his points, in a respectful and courteous way.
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"The broadcaster defends the presenter’s right to refer to the ESRI research on the Irish language. It was used to inform the debate and the figures quoted helped to illustrate the socio-economic differences between Irish speakers and those without Irish.
“The broadcaster states that fact checking a participant’s claim on the programme is an integral part of the programme.
"When the complainant made a claim regarding a report on the percentage of staff in the Department of Education who use the Irish language, the presenter made it clear that he wished to have that checked out by stating ‘we’ll try and double check that’.
“The broadcaster also refutes the claim by the complainant that the presenter tried to put words in his mouth at any stage during the discussion, noting that the complainant was given time to respond to the point raised by the presenter in relation to working class people being disadvantaged by the proposed legislative change.
"The broadcaster believes the complainant was treated in a fair and respectful manner.”
The BAI decided to reject the complaint, saying “the complainant was given ample time to express his views before the presenter put various questions to him.”
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