Ireland's media watchdog has rejected 12 complaints relating to Covid-19 segments on our airwaves.
Pat Kenny’s Newstalk radio show has rejected 11 complaints about a segment on his show about Covid-19, which involved an interview with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.
The episode aired on October 28, 2021 included a segment called “Covid Roundup”, which also included interviews with medical and scientific academics and practitioners.
Eleven people complained to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), saying the presenter was prejudiced against people who are not vaccinated against Covid-19.
They said this prevented the subject matter from being presented in an objective and impartial manner.
The summary for ten of the 11 complaints said: “The complainant believes the presenter’s comment that society was being “too easy” on people who are choosing not to be vaccinated is inflammatory, discriminatory and potentially harmful.”
The comment was taken from an interview with Minister Donnelly.
In its response to the complaints, Newstalk said it believed the comments had been taken out of context.
It said presenters “may robustly question an interviewee and convey a critical view, which may include challenging the approach of the Government.
“These comments do not support or condone discrimination of any person or group in society.”
The BAI’s Compliance Committee said the segment covered a range of issues to do with Covid-19, and said it believed the interview questions “were relevant and appropriate in the context of interviewing a Government minister about his area of responsibility.
“The Committee noted that people who are not vaccinated are not a particular group in society that is given specific protection under equality legislation or in provisions of Principle 5 of the Code of Programme Standards.
“The Committee found no evidence in the broadcast of content that stigmatised, supported or condoned discrimination or incited hatred against any person or group in society.”
The BAI also received complaints about episodes of RTE One’s Claire Byrne Live and Today With Claire Byrne on RTE Radio One, broadcast on October 18 and 21, 2021 respectively but both complaints were rejected.
Both complainants took issue with the programme’s discussion of people who were not vaccinated.
Also rejected was a complaint about an interview on Ocean FM with a medical doctor, and former election candidate for the Sligo-Leitrim constituency, who was speaking at a rally in Sligo town organised by a group named United Against Segregation.
The complainant said the broadcast was “harmful and irresponsible by airing this individual’s views in relation to Covid-19 vaccines and the Government’s response to the pandemic without sufficient or any challenge by the presenter.”
Ocean FM said the rally was a local event of public interest, and it was required by BAI codes to cover all issues objectively, giving both sides the opportunity to air their views.
The BAI’s Executive Complaints Forum said in its ruling that it was “editorially legitimate for the broadcaster to cover this local protest action and to 74 interview speakers at it.”
Another complaint was made against Claire Byrne Live show on December 13 relating to an item on voluntary assisted dying (VAD) and the Dying with Dignity Bill 2020.
The complainant believes there was an unbalanced presentation of the argument in favour of introducing VAD because four contributors opposed it and only one was allowed to speak in favour of it.
The complainant notes that End of Life Ireland (EOLI) was invited to participate in the programme but was not given an opportunity to speak.
In response, Rte said that “there is no statutory or regulatory obligation to provide ‘balance’; the requirement is to be fair to all interests and, in the case of this programme, this meant being fair to both sides of the argument on VAD.”
“The broadcaster states that, in being fair to all interests, there is no requirement on broadcasters to allocate equal time or an equal number of contributors or comparable contributors to a debate. The broadcaster notes that it has editorial independence to determine how a programme is constructed, which is acknowledged in the BAI’s Guidance Notes on the Code.”
The BAI rejected the complaint saying it “did not consider that the panel, or those who debated on either side, led to any lack of fairness, objectivity or impartiality in the broadcast.”
Separately, the Executive Complaints Forum of the BAI considered and rejected 16 complaints in meetings held in February, March, April and May 2022.
Countrywide received a complaint after concerns about an item on the programme about a badger vaccination scheme to reduce the transmission of bovine TB on January 22, 2022.
“The complainant did not agree with the broadcast’s use of the term ‘restraint’, stating that this particular restraint is illegal in Europe and is viewed as not fit for purpose. The complainant questioned why the broadcast did not mention these matters or the injuries caused to badgers in snares. The complainant believes the description in the broadcast of Ireland as “a global leader in badger vaccination” is disgraceful and totally unfounded.”
In response, Rte said “The broadcaster states that it was editorially appropriate to report on the badger vaccination project being undertaken by the Department of Agriculture considering the devastating impact bovine TB can have on cattle herds.”
The BAI rejected the complaint.
Rte’s Six One’s February 28 edition of the programme also received a complaint after one disgruntled viewer took issue with a reporter’s description of the war on Ukraine as “one man’s historical fantasies in Moscow”, saying “these words were irresponsible and biased and that the broadcast was reactionary and emotional.” The BAI also rejected this complaint.
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